wah wah wah

I'm not much of a fan of resolutions. If I were to be asked why, I would probably throw out some response about how "everyday is an opportunity to live with the mindset of change and self-improvement", or something fanciful like that, with the expectation after to bask in compliments regarding my cleverness and refreshing take on life. Some crap like that.  

This year however, I will admit, I bought into the hype. In my mind, the new year was an opportunity to start over again, a tangible starting point from whence I can start my new life of being the best person I can be. So when I found myself struggling with my laziness, anger and impatience, and letting them get the best of me, I was bummed to have "ruined" such an opportunity to start anew. 

Stupid, huh.

The feeling that I get that time o' the year when "Auld Lang Syne" is played should be a feeling I get everyday, simply because the second I believed in Christ as my savior is the second something new began in my life. Something that gives us a hope, a drive to look at EACH day as an opportunity to be more Christlike, looking not at the scenery around or the milestones we have passed, but at the stretch that lies ahead, be it cloudy or bright. Redemption means that every second of every day is an opportunity to throw off what lies behind, that we may be able to better run towards what lies ahead. 

Christ already has done the work on the cross! He is our hope, our inspiration to see every part of every day as something new and exciting, no matter how much we think we are undeserving. 

Geez, I wish my life made as much sense to me daily as it seems to when I sit down and write.

Where I'm At

I saw some press on this video on this blog that my xangar is linked to and had to start shaking my head in shame.  It's not that I don't believe that their intent is good.  They want to bring Christ back into Christmas.  That isn't a problem.  Christmas has very obviously become synonymous with a season of accelerating greed fueled by marketing campaigns from various retailers worldwide.  My mailbox requires a daily and meticulous scrubbing of various spammed deals and gimmicks designed to draw the credit card out of your pocket in your moments of weakness.  I would know.  I've sent out my fair share of mailing list messages (30% Off Post-Holiday Sale, 3 Days Only, Anybody?) to realize that the modern day consumer has never been so jaded or desensitized.  If homies were a little looser with their wallets, maybe I'd be getting a regular paycheck (WINK WINK NUDGE NUDGE).

Now that my plug is finished, I'll end this post.

Just kidding.  There was a reason I started.  Oh yes, greed driven holiday season.  It's very obvious that Jesus Christ has almost nothing to do with this shameful season, at least in the highways and byways and mall parking lots, but that doesn't mean we should hit up the local Jesus costuming shop, don the white robe, grow out the beard and invade their places of business and leisure.  It just reinforces the Christians stereotype that we're self-righteous, intentionally weird with a tendency to engage the overly dramatic & borderline-cultic.  Personally, I enjoy the holiday season, I enjoy the pungent body odor of the horde seeking holiday deals, because it's basically the only time of the year we're playing Christmas music in the shop.  For eight hours straight, our computer is on the Christmas Songs station on Pandora and the bassy, throaty voices from the likes of Sinatra fill the air.  The heat is turned up high, and the wonderful scent of the candle we have in the middle of the shop wafts throughout.  And even though I'm not one for high intensity customer service, I have a reason to smile, to treat everyone nicer than they've ever been treated, to hook them up better than any other retailer so they leave the store with a smile, cos I'm reminded every second with every lyric booming through our speakers.  It also helps that I'm secretly donning that Jesus Robe underneath my skintight jeans, and if I could grow a beard, I would.  I'm just a secret agent like that.