I'm officially in the Christmas spirit.
It doesn't feel like December yet. It's been chilly here in the mountains, but not cold. Still, inside, the tree is up and glowing, the fireplace is on, a Christmas movie is playing, and my new Christmas wine glass is poured and sitting right where I can reach it.
This is the vibe right now: twinkle lights, a warm fire, a sweet story on the screen, and a glass of red with a few raspberries floating on top. Nowhere to be. Nothing to rush.
The front porch is starting to come together too, slowly taking on that warm Christmas feel. I'm hoping to finish it before I leave on my trip next week, and I'll be sure to share photos of the complete look.
Life From Anywhere
Some of you may wonder how I get to live this way, so let me tell you.
My husband and I own a historic restoration business in North Carolina. He's there, doing the craftsmanship. I do my part remotely: the bookkeeping, client contact, all the admin side of the business, even keeping the website up. As long as I have my laptop, I can do it from anywhere.
So I chose to be here. My studio is on the second floor of the house where my daughter and her family live, close to my only child and my three granddaughters. It's the smallest place I've ever called home, and I wouldn't trade this season for anything.
It also means my husband and I spend stretches of time apart. We haven't been together since mid-September. Later next week, we reunite in Florida. As the saying goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder (but does it really?) and it's always nice to look forward to a change of scenery.
Yes, the tree went up before Thanksgiving. I've lived long enough to know this season goes by faster every year, and I'd rather have more of it, not less.
On top sits my angel. Lace gown, golden wings, a little star of light in each hand. When the room goes dark and only the tree is lit, she looks like she's holding the light out to everyone who walks in. She reminds me that we are watched over, wherever we are.
You know my rhythm by now: coffee in the morning, hot tea in between, wine in the evening.
This year, the evening wine has a new home. Last week, while Christmas shopping with my daughter, I found this Christmas tree wine glass at the World Market store, and it came home with me. The stem is a little green tree dotted with tiny red, yellow, and white ornaments. Drop a few fresh raspberries into a red, and the whole glass glows like a jewel.
I also found a deck of yoga pose cards. World Market always has the most unique items, and since my newfound passion includes yoga, I just had to get them. The timing couldn't be better: I'll soon be joining a group of girls for a yoga retreat out of the country. I'm so excited, and I'm counting down the days to this upcoming trip.
I'm grateful to be able to enjoy the simple things in this season of life. Going shopping with my daughter, meeting her for lunch, our daily chats.
Fireplace on. (Yes, it's electric. Yes, it counts.) A Christmas movie playing, the kind with a snowy little inn, garland on every railing, and a love story you can see coming from the first five minutes.
As the couple on screen started falling for each other, I found myself back at the beginning of ours.
Where We Left Off
In my last post, I told you the ground gave way. That the young man I loved made choices that would break my heart and turn our young lives upside down. I promised you that story, and it's coming.
But before the ground shook, there was a season I want you to know about. The season when our young love became a passionate one.
We were inseparable. Together every chance we got during school hours. On the phone in the evenings, long after we should have hung up. And on the weekends, hanging out with friends, all of us gathering in his neighborhood.
I think back now on those early days and what we did just to be together. I remember him riding his bike across town in the cold Wisconsin weather, snow on the ground, all the way to my home. To see me. To be with me.
Some memories never lose their warmth. That's one of mine.
Hold on to that picture of him pedaling through the snow. You'll want it when I tell you what came next.
To my readers: If you're young and just starting out, let me tell you this: don't be in a rush to find love. Live your life, and find your happiness within yourself.
No one else can make you happy, not even the person who loves you most. If you place your hope in someone else, you will end up disappointed, because we can't control other people. We can only control ourselves.
It took me longer than I had hoped to figure out this simple lesson in life. So learn to love yourself and enjoy your own company. When your happiness comes from within, you'll be a joy to be around, and you won't be so easily disappointed by others, because your happiness will never depend on them.
Before I sign off… sharing another first
My first glass of wine, at fifty. I didn't grow up a wine drinker. My first glass came at fifty, and the story behind it is really a story about a friend.
It was a trying season in my marriage. Things happened that I never imagined my marriage, or I, would ever face. I won't go into detail. I'll just say I felt betrayed, and it was a hurt so painful.
A coworker of mine insisted on picking me up and taking me out for the night. First, an art show, which I truly enjoyed. Then dinner at a place I never would have found on my own. And there, sitting around a long table with a group of women out for the evening, simply enjoying each other's company, I had my very first glass of wine.
Afterward, a few of us went back to her place, and that one glass turned into a bottle.
It didn't take the hurt away. But it opened me up to something new, and not only the wine. Friendships can be for a season. They can be made at any age, in any amount of time, if they're true. Ours grew in a short time, during one of the darkest times of my life, and I cherish it. I'm truly grateful for her friendship, especially through that season.
So cheers to my friend, who was there to lift my spirit when it needed lifting.
And now look at me, dropping raspberries into a Christmas tree glass like I've done it all my life. It is never too late for a first.
I'll be back with one more post this Sunday, before I pack up and head south.
