Friday, December 21, 2007

Speechless

Yes, I am speechless this morning, or very nearly so. It's an oddity, I assure you. I don't wonder if we shouldn't mark this speechless day on our calendars. Goodness knows it's an unlikely enough event! If I didn't feel fine I'd check my temperature...surely, such speechlessness could indicate a medical issue, couldn't it? But not to worry--I feel fine. I think I may just be experiencing what a lot of others are going through at this point.

Oh? What is it that renders me speechless, you ask?

The calm before the storm.

You know the one. We've all felt it at one time or another. It shows up at many times, for any number of occasions. Weddings. Parties. Interviews. Barbeques. You name it. Almost every storm, even happy ones, have that lull just before the flurry of activity begins.

In this case, I've got the pre-holiday muteness I associate with being content to wait. I've cleaned from top to bottom, baked until my fingers are blistered (not very good about using oven mitts!), wrapped a la Martha Stewart, mailed, shopped till I've dropped, planned as if I'm a general heading off to battle and have rewritten the holiday menus countless times. Now, I'm in a holding pattern. Ready and waiting for the festivities to begin. My brain has turned to mush. All I plan to do now is listen to carols, stoke the fireplace, eat the cookies and reread A Christmas Carol.

And I want to send wishes, from our home to yours, that your holidays be safe and happy ones. Whatever you do, wherever you go and whomever you're surrounded by, I hope you feel the joy that comes to us at this special time of year. Maybe you'll be like I am now, speechless--if only for a moment so that you, too, enjoy the feeling of contentedness that comes before, during and after a very pleasurable storm!

Happy Holidays!

8 comments:

margaret blake said...

I know what you mean, even down to not using oven mitts. Now it is the calm before the storm what does one do, after running around like headless chickens we have everything done and have to kill time!

I am just like you, Sarita, just waiting.

Merry Christmas to you all and a very Happy and successful New Year too.

Love,

Margaret.

Tory Richards said...

I'm rarely speechless, much to the dismay of my family and friends, and I know exactly what you mean:)

Tory Richards said...

Oh, and Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you ladies, too!

Kathleen said...

Have a wonderful holiday! I'm still doing the Christmas cards and haven't started baking so I'm envious of your preparedness

Sarita Leone said...

Margaret, I'm so bad with those blasted oven mitts! I feel better, though, knowing I'm not the only one not using them properly. My husband threatens to staple them to my hands, especially when I leave them behind inside the oven! Yes, I've done that. Smells horrid, and does nothing good for the mitts, either. :)

Sarita Leone said...

Debbie, you're so funny. I admit that being without words is highly unusual for me! So glad to know I'm not alone on that front, either! :)

Sarita Leone said...

Good for you, Kathy. It sounds like you're taking your time with things. You've still got joy of a fragrant kitchen before you and racks of baked goods cooling on your countertops. Hmm...makes me want to bake again. Maybe I will make some more cookies because you can never have too many cookies, can you? ;-)

margaret blake said...

You ladies baking the cookies are making me feel inadequate. I never bake cookies anymore but buy them. However, I do have a "brownie" mix my daughter in law gave to me, so I might scramble something up with that.

Cake making, scone making, shortbread making - I remember it well, but just do not bother these days.

Sarita, what a beautiful picture of the plant, I know what it is called, but just can't spell it!

Margaret.