I am sitting at my computer while the girls have gone walking with Craig. It is snowing hard outside. They left in their mittens and snowsuits. I should be packing, I really should. It is less than an hour before we are supposed to leave to spend Christmas holidays in my home town of Kamloops and there are 1/2 empty suitcases all over the house.
But I know I must post now or I won't until the new year.
For some reason I decided to do this horrible cleanse thing. Don't ask me why I chose Christmas time to do this. Last week I was convinced it couldn't wait... I was feeling tired and kept catching things....but now all I can think of is everyone sitting around drinking wine and eating fudge without me. Also, I can't have my most favorite things: tea, bread, cheese (is: cheesetoast, my staple food) and salad dressing. I have seriously lost my motivation for making salads now that I can only drizzle it with olive oil and lemon juice. It's not exactly exciting. Also, I am forced to eat weird gluten-free, wheat-free inventions that taste like cardboard. Only 18 more days to go. I hope I last.

So Christmas is here.
I have my gluten-free snacks and my green tea packed. After Christmas I will go stay at a Monastery just outside of Kamloops. It is located in the middle of the forest and they employ very strict guidelines, like no makeup, jewelry, eating at improper times (other than twice daily!) and above all.... we must refrain from using luxurious seats and beds (whatever that means...does that mean I can't bring my duvet???)

I was disappointed to read in the guidelines that no music is allowed either. So I won't be writing any songs. And no drinks in the meditation hall. I guess that means I'm going to have to quit my habit of carrying around a cup of tea from morning 'til night.

In the living room the tree is lit. the middle string of lights don't work, so it looks lopsided. It is mostly filled with kids' decorations now... cookies and pre-school projects. I have my bag of books waiting at the door and snacks for the car. I wish I had something more profound to say, so I will leave you with this line from the Secret Garden that I read last night.

"Of course there must be lots of magic in the world, but people don't know what it is like or how to make it. Perhaps the beginning is just to say nice things are going to happen until you make them happen."
-Frances Hodgson Burnett

I'm off...