On Time

The Christmas Crunch
On time.
On time.
In a hurry.
No patience.
Long lines.
Buy Buy Buy and then go to a party and then back to buy some more.
That sure seems to be what Christmas has become for so many people.

Do we even remember to take time for the joys of the season?

Why not toss a pebble into the seasonal sea and create an alternative
peace-filled ripple?

I observed some of that ripple effect yesterday at Wally...

Everyone was restless ... so was I.. the lines were moving slow.

So, to calm myself I thought.

"I knew there would be lines.
I KNEW there would be lines.
Lines mean wait.
So Wait.
No one else needs to be on time except Santa and the Train Engineer."

Except, I said the last line outloud.

Wow.

For three lines around it seemed like TIME stopped and everyone was looking at me
with either bemused or amused or annoyed fexpressions.

The lady in front of me said: Now There's and Attitude for ya!

Remarkable.

I smiled with some surprise that I said it out loud and repeated it.

You know it really is true:

No one else REALLY needs to be on time except Santa and the Train Engineer,You
know the engineer on the Polar Express-- The one whose watch says ON Time/ Late/ Almost or Early.

She smiled. Yes, I saw that movie. No I did not remember the watch. Cute.

But by then the atmosphere had changed, the energy was no longer gloomy and impatient.

It was almost as if folks shifted focus and were trying to think of something else besides the lines... Maybe they were thinking of my absurd statement.

Maybe not. I will not ever know. But it certainly had a transforming effect.

I felt a lot more relaxed and calm for the duration of my wait.

Almost buoyant.

Try doing something like that this week.

Disrupt the CRUNCH of the commercial corners in our lives.

Spread some peace and good will.

Yes.

Even good humor