Greetings all. It is almost Christmas and this is the time of the year when we all should be jolly and merry and willing to help our fellow man. But, over the years, we have allowed ourselves to be suckered into the stresses of what the holliday season has really become.
Not only have we forgotten what the season is really about but I have seen a persons true colors come to surface during this crazy time. The holliday season really brings out the best and worse in all of us-sometimes all at the same time. I think we should rename it "The Bi-polar Season". I have witnessed someone nearly get into a fist fight over a parking spot, power walk across the parking lot, push and shove in the store to get what they came for and then drop $5 in the Salvation Army kettle on their way back to the car with a smile on their face and a song in their heart. Bi-polar. Our moods can change from minute to minute and without warning. Its not our fault. It is what we have evolved into.
We say this time of year is about family and friends. True. It is about spending the most money we can on our family for gifts that will be out-dated as soon as we pick them up off the shelf. It is about spending hours preparing the biggest, most beautiful meals to impress the masses. Again, it is just what we have become.
It is also the time of year when we trust our fellow man even less than we did just two months earlier. And rightfully so in some cases. The criminals target our cars while we are shopping. They target women with purses as they walk across the parking lot. They pick our pockets while in the stores. They break into our homes while we are (hopefully) out.
But not everyone who has less than you is a criminal. As a retired fire fighter I learned a very valuable lesson very early on. That lesson is not to judge anyone based on appearance. Some of the worst people I ran across looked as though they were fine, upstanding folks. Some of the best people I dealt with are the same ones most of you would move to the other side of the street to avoid.
It is not our fault. We all know we do it even if we refuse to admit it outloud. Our world has changed so much over the past 50 years. The media adds fuel to that fire with all the horror stories they run night after night. I know from my days as PR Officer with the FD that they sometimes don't report the exact facts. It's their job. The better the story the more viewers they bring in. Part of their job is to scare you while informing you.
What's my point? well, we have all been programed to be who we are day to day. We have all been programed to treat the hollidays the way we do. We all change during this wonderful time. Bi-polar. Can we change? Yes. We changed to get here and we can change to get back. It would be a long, hard road but we can do it. Will we change? No. We will continue to evolve into even worse people than we alreay are.
Reach deep down inside and try to restore a little of that old time Christmas cheer. Take food to your local food bank. Donate a coat to your local church. Adopt an angel from the Angel Tree. Lets not forget the adults, either. Buy a burger for that homeless guy sitting outside WalMart. Gloves, hats, coats and socks are cheap at your local Dollar General. They will brighten the day of someone who has very little and, in some cases, may save a life.
And life is the one thing we all share regardless of our income, our religion, our skin color or social status. Love life and we will learn to truely love ourselves. Blessed be and enjoy.