No more lights?

What's everyone up to these post-holidays??? Is anyone else a little sad to see the Christmas lights come down? (I fear I'm the only one who is). One by one, the buildings and houses are stripping away their yule-time luster. No more icicle lights, no more yard decorations, no more red bows or frosted garland. Our neighborhood is back to its dark and dreary self, as is the office, and as is our our house :(

...Let's take a moment of silence for our loss...

Okay, so now that we gave the situation its due attention, let's move on. Which won't be altogether impossible, considering I thought of something! One good thing that can come of this post-holiday starkness and boring-ness is that we're forced to find cheer elsewhere. If I don't have a pretty Christmas tree to look at, then I'll have to see light in something else. Perhaps in the book that I'm reading or the dinner I share with my husband. And if I can't drive around town looking at decked-out houses, then I'll have to drive around town looking at the bird nests in the branches or the man at the bus-stop wearing headphones who bobs his head to the music. You and I will simply have to find the holiday in the everyday.

Just this morning, because it was so windy and cold out and because the sky was full of gray clouds that blocked the sun, I knew I'd have to try HARD to see the beauty of the day. So what did I do? Obviously I went to Starbucks, which for me is an instant fix (keep that in mind in case you're wanting to befriend me). I got myself a toasty beverage, some hot oatmeal, and picked up my brother's/boss' drink of choice. I got to the window and the cashier told me the total came to $10. That's right, $10 EVEN! No change, no nothin! The cashier congratulated me on my ordering skills, saying, "Way to go girl! That's a nice round number to start your day off!" I thought we might high-five or something, what with the special moment we were sharing. I did feel proud, too, haha! Like I'd really accomplished something. Isn't that silly? I tell you what, those Starbucks people really know how to make me smile.

Point is, I was really digging the fanciness, the sparkliness, the good-moodiness of the last couple months. And I was sad to see it all good and gone. But today I saw that even the littlest everyday, not-holiday-inspired things make me happy, too. Everyone notices a 7 foot tall, air-filled, lit snowman in someone's front yard--that takes no work at all, it's obvious. But not everyone notices the geese flying overhead with their long necks and fast-beating wings or the ice creamy color of the winter sky when the sun's just rising. Those are the things I wanna notice--the overlookable.

Many happy sightings, my friends!

Daily Dose of Dillies: Wishlists (Excuse me for continuing last post's topic, but you can't tell me ALL sequels are bad. Home Alone 2? Shrek 2? Meet the Fockers?)

Additions to the ol' 2010 wishlist:

1) I wish to dance. A LOT. And whether it's a dance party at home or dancing at a club or bar, I wish to not attempt to look secksy (cause the likelihood is I won't).
2) I wish to always wear lipstick or lipgloss or liptint or lipbalm--to keep those bad boys moisturized, colored, and lookin' juicy.
3) I wish to savor food instead of scarfing it. I wish to make meals take an hour at least...talk in between bites if I HAVE to ;)
4) I wish to memorize a joke and PERFORM it whenever possible. (Anyone else remember that night sophomore year in college when B went out and partied without us, only to come home drunk and HILARIOUS? She must've done stand up comedy for a half an hour. Never heard so many jokes back-to-back. "SUPPLIES!" Awesome).
5) I wish to sit prettily--legs crossed, back straight, smile as big as a watermelon slice (That's pretty, right?).
6) I wish to remember that FUN lies in the F word--FREE. (Haha, got you on that F word bit, didn't I?).
7) I wish to imagine myself as a hot air balloon--colorful, full of bouyancy, and capable of flight.

See how easy it is to just add stuff to a wishlist? Maybe mine will grow all year, who knows! I might not accomplish much, but boy I'll be wishing!

Best wishes to you all! (Sorry I'm not done with the holiday greetings yet).

P.S. Another fabulous thing to think about is coming up with a 2010 word. Kind of like a mantra you keep in the back of your mind--a pithy, one-stop-shop kinda focus, if you will. Some words I've been tossing around--thanksgiving, presence, celebration...

My heart's already aflutter :)

* images from http://www.victoriataylorgore.com/  and  http://fc00.deviantart.net/