So here we go, 2025. Many did not come along with us. We persist for now.
I admit to a certain amount of melancholy this season. I spent Christmas morning with my daughter and grandchildren. Came home to nap and decided not to return. I felt quiet inside, and wanted to stay that way and not pretend.
Last night I stayed in as well. I was invited to an event, but again, I wanted to be on my own. I was pleased to know that many of my far flung friends were also having a quiet night.
I woke up to the news that some crazed idiot used his car to mow people down on Bourbon St. in New Orleans. Much carnage. It seems dangerous to be in crowds, period. Luckily, I dislike crowds and crowded places, so I suppose I'm 'safe' that way.
I was rescued by a fun phone conversation this morning with dear friends. We always laugh a lot, and we did today as well. She was doing laundry and I could hear the machine filling with water. From my seat on the couch, I spied a pile of dog poop. We laughed about how exciting our lives are!
In the coming days I will mark the 5th anniversary of my husband's passing, and the 3rd anniversary of my dad's. The passing of time is a very strange thing, especially when you are grieving such losses. A friend of mine lost her wife earlier in 2024 and these recent holidays were very painful for her. They were together for thirty years!
Another close friend has just been diagnosed with cancer, again. She recovered from breast cancer twenty two years ago, and now it's back. This dear woman has been through a lot in her life. One would think she'd already 'paid her dues,' so to speak. She had a massive stroke about a year and a half ago.
What a litany. Aint I a chipper woman today?
I recently watched the movie with Cillian Murphy called Small Things Like These, based on a novel. It was an historical telling of the abuses to young pregnant girls in Catholic monasteries. It was so bleak that I almost turned it off. The grief and sadness on the face of our protagonist was masterful acting. The shear darkness of it all. The story probably didn't help with my mood!
I find Cillian Murphy quite compelling as an actor. I think he is physically gorgeous, too. I first saw him when the series Peaky Blinders was on television. Such an evil character he played, and yet that character also had my sympathy.
Time for my nap. A glorious way to spend an afternoon on the first day of the new year.
