Christmas eve, the weather came through Alabama hard and swift.
If Santa was up there in his sleigh, well I wished him the best, because the
wind roared and the rains came HARD.
In the morning Christmas had arrived. A bit wet, and soggy but xmas morning
just the same.
All my daughter wanted was to go down to the Walmart parking lot. This was
her Christmas wish, her only desire for Christmas 2009
A simple wish to grant, her morning started out bad. First she awoke
to her favorite necklace tangled in a knot, which we could not get undone.
I suggested we wait for her cousin to deal with the problem, she was coming
over later for dinner.
Then she couldn't find her ipod. A big part of her plan included an
ipod in her pocket and earphones in her ears. But after much looking
and frustration, of course it could not be found anywhere. Her bitchy
level was reaching critical mass.
Finally she just gave it up, and we warmed the car up and headed to
Walmart, minus the beloved ipod. The temp being around 40, we even
saw a few snow flurries, very few.
We arrived at Walmart. There before us lay the sea of asphalt. Grey, and
stark, empty of cars. Walmart is closed on Christmas, and my daughter can
only fullfill her plan on this special day.
We flip the hatch up, and she drags her bike out. Since it was so cold.
she had to do some layering of clothes, scarf, hat, gloves. Then the
fun began, even without her beloved ipod, she rode around, hands out,
head up, wind freezing her cheeks, making her eyes water.
Being an aspiring future clown, she also brought her unicycle, and
rode it around too. She didn't like it as much, couldn't go as fast
as the bike. So she settled on the bike, I sat in the car rocking out
to the radio, (oldies but goodies, no xmas music for me).
As I watched my daughter enjoy her Christmas in such a simple way, it
made me think about that vacant parking lot. It felt
as though everyone was holding their collective consumer
breath for just a day, a few hours. A quiet break from the
daily roar of masses of people, coming to and fro.
Their heat from the cars, their bodies, their feet, the friction of the
constant carts running across the asphalt, the heat of their voices. I could
feel all this, and yet the quiet that enveloped the parking lot, today,
it was poetry. A religious experience.
Small sparrow type birds were hanging around the cart corrals. They fluttered
in little clouds of brown and black. Hopping like little wind up toys. They
were free to gather in a large group, flit about, and make home of the carts.
Also I noticed the black crows were claiming ownership of the black landscape
as well. Strutting about, flying in lazy circles. All this happening while
my daughter oblivious, just pedals along, in and around making her own
obstacle course.
Finally pink cheeked and bright eyed, the bad mood had passed. We packed
the bike up and went off to have breakfast at Big Boys. I thought I would
be sad when we stopped putting up the tree, when Santa didn't come to
our house anymore. Or how I would miss taking down an ornament every day,
counting down to Christmas.
But I didn't. Some traditions end, and the best part is you can
start new traditions. Like riding your bike around the Walmart parking lot,
or having a nice breakfast Christmas morning. Or spending time watching little
birds, or the wind blowing through the trees. Christmas is just another day,
every day is just another day, we need to make the best of each day. And
sometimes we just need to stop for just a minute, an hour, or a day, and
just take it all in.
Then tomorrow will come, and we can begin again.