What are we looking for?

Tis the season for holiday get togethers. As I've stated before, I'm not exactly a "Christmas person". I enjoy many parts of Christmas, I enjoy the lights and decorations, I like giving and receiving gifts and I actually really like seeing Santas. One thing I don't like about Christmas time is the obligatory nature of it. ("How can you not love Christmas?!" everyone gasps) Not only are you expected to participate in holiday festivities, but it's understood that you want to and you love it. Everyone is so excited for the annual Christmas party. I think it's fine. I enjoy the good food and drinks and visiting with people I don't see very often. However I think I'm the only person who looks at it as several hours of torture delivered by pantyhose and high heels. If I could wear jeans and boots, I'd be much more excited.

Similarly, I'm looking forward to going out to cut down our Christmas tree this weekend but I'm not so excited about having an actual pine tree from the forest in my livingroom for the next three weeks. I'm really just terrified to see what my youngest cat will do to it. It's funny how a lot of things in life are like this; we love them and anticipate them but there's always a part that we dread. I've noticed this expecially with the seasons. All winter long we look forward to summer and then it's too hot so we look forward to fall. We haven't gotten much snowfall yet this year and I hear a lot of people complaining about it, until we get 20 inches and then that'll be too much.

Perhaps it's our nature as humans (or maybe just as Americans) to always be looking for that greener pasture. I know it's something I catch myself doing and try to discourage. So when I'm feeling overwhelmed by gift shopping or stressed about what to wear to the Christmas party, I try to remind myself how fortunate I am to have these "troubles". And there's no sense in looking for a greener pasture because it'll be snow covered til May!