Re-Joy-Sing: A Christmas Miracle

It is amazing how things can turn around so profoundly and so quickly. I hadn't even noticed how my Joy Factor had been so low, for so long. Over the past year, I was trapped, blindly falling headlong into some nightmarish abyss and too caught up in meaningless, manufactured drama, too naively easily manipulated, to even realize what was going on around me.

But today, I revel in an astounding re-up of joy. In other words: today, I rejoice at how thing are great and getting better, standing at the Winter Solstice having done a complete 180 turn from my usual annual Seasonal Affective Disorder. I'm about to burst with joy.

A nice new bed and regular sleep helps, I s'pose. Someone that loves you enough to feed you Dream Dinners, who loves you so much that your snoring seems "cute" can't hurt. Money-wise, things aren't quite as blissful, but things are quite tenable. Somehow I have more income coming in, and less out go going out, having extracted a few regular, substantial fiscal leeches.

There is much to be thankful for. After decades of living on my own, I have a Christmas tree... an exceedingly cool Christmas Tree, at that. Through this year's tribulations, I learned an important lesson, as these days, I'm more mindful about those things to which I give of myself. I'm *MUCH* more picky about my associations, and the types of behavior I allow around me.

Character *does* matter. For instance, if you associate with someone who habitually takes things that don't belong to them (from roommates and co-workers, no less), and you permit that type of stuff to go on around you, you'd be a fool to be broken up (or even surprised) if that same low life commits that same act of ultimate disrespect and dishonor, breaking into your crib, to take your stuff, no? It brings to mind a very old joke with the punch line "Well, you *knew* I was a snake."

Maybe my Dad's right: some folks are just losers; they prefer it that way, and would just as soon drag you down, than to allow you to lift them up. while there's something inside me that is still so very uncomfortable with that mindset, my parents seem very very comfortable... moreso than most parents I have ever known, now that I think on it. I used to jokingly quip, "Elitism is under-rated." Clearly, the humor works there, because there's an element of truth, there. But on the other hand, I struggle with the idea of being judgmental (especially as it approaches class-ism), being intimately familiar with what it's like to be judged falsely and harshly, based on petty, empty, meaningless criteria. Yet and still, you *can* judge a tree by the fruit it bears, and you *are* known by the company you keep.

Therefore, I an most thankful to find myself having upgraded to "Associates Version 2.0", in the company of people who are more accomplished, educated and driven than myself. People who are "about something"; motivated by something other than those same old tired (often even deadly) juvenile pursuits to which I'd become accustomed.

In an earlier post (In Praise of An Angel), I alluded to the beauty and wonder of flight... It's become a seriously recurring theme in my world, as Angel flies me to Las Vegas in a few weeks...

Thing is, I'm not yet even over the giddiness from my recent jaunt to the ATL a few weeks ago... Mary Nell, whose ability to stay in touch with her inner princess has already enhanced my life in ways in which she cannot know, was a most gracious hostess; she threw a wonderful bash. And I got such a great vibe off of Jeremy, as a gentle genius, involved with an idea that is quietly changing the world. Coincidently, this idea is closely eye-candy-related, but it's difficult for me to explain the details. They'll tell you about it better than me at www.playmotion.com.

So now, I'm preparing to go to Vegas, hip deep into Business Intelligence and Knowledge Management, a fascinating anf thrilling field of study that's currently inventing itself in the same way that the web invented itself a few years back. Then, perhaps my man, Avvie in Maui will have to endure our happy arses for a while. See "Aloha Y'all", a way cute site for southern "expatriates" in Hawaii.

To Lori:, I love, appreciate miss, and of course, haven't forgotten about you; I promise to squeeze in NYC for a long weekend, before then. I'm surprised how well-suited to real travel I'm becoming... I've been dug into my little 300 mile box for way too long.

So, in this very real way, my Angel has helped me to upgrade my very DREAMS!! Imagine expanding one's realm of possibilities, raising that which you can become... I've been dog sick all week, yet I can't stop smiling... sometimes, even dancing around the crib... or the frigking mall, for crying out loud. Never before have I looked forward to a new year with such hope and excitement... Transformation... Is there any possible reason to be more thankful? Truly, it is a miraculously blessed Christmas.