There is always a reason to celebrate but holidays is not one of those times. I am allergic to holidays. I hate the hype. I hate the commerce centred planning. I hate the disappointment. I hate the polite family gatherings and wasted money on valueless gifts. Mostly I hate that there are many, many lonely people that hate the holidays. Years ago I would go and visit those lonely people. The old age homes filled with sad souls. Abandoned children longing for family. I couldn't stomach it. I also hate being boxed with a neat little label that is supposed to define the essence of each human. Don't tell me when to celebrate. The best birthday to celebrate is an UN-birthday. The best gift is one that has no purpose but to express love. The best time to celebrate is every day that should be made extra-ordinary simply because life is worth celebrating.
We have never worked harder than we do here on the homestead. Don't get me wrong - this is not a gripe - I love our life and I wouldn't change it (except maybe to give us more time off!!) I joke that in order for us to take a holiday (which some countries call a vacation) I have to be pregnant. We simply do not get time off. Weekends are the same. The times that we could really get away to enjoy a holiday/vacation was the couple weeks around the time each of the kids were born. Although, for those of you who have awaited and then passed the day it feels like anything but a holiday. My babies all arrived around the time the whales are birthing but I felt as much like a beached whale as those giants of the sea. However to the sea we always went for the birth. There is something calming about the ocean. One year, on impulse, my husband packed me and number one off to my dad, who lives on a beautiful coastal farm. It was a weekend getaway which became a two week holiday. And it was bliss!
The reason? Family. My brother @craigcryproking who I had seen once, briefly, in the preceding 12 years, also impulsively joined us. We laughed. We ate. We shared early morning coffee and ocean view sundowners. We spent hours wandering the beach, splashing in the waves, watching the dolphins, listening to the ocean whispering. We remembered our own coastal childhood on another beach. We celebrated. My son spoke his first word and took his first step that holiday. We celebrated that too!
When reading The Weekend - Nature and you initiated by @galenkp it took me all two days of the weekend debating the subject. Weekends? My posts are never written on whim or at speed. They take days - often months - and many philosophical musings before I publish (or scrap) the final product. I live in the country. My home is in the magnificent semi-desert mountain range of the Karoo. People pay a lot of money to visit the area. People pay a lot of money to have holidays in the area I am blessed to call home. And yet I still miss the ocean. I only realize how much when I get to return.
There is an expression "deep calls to deep". There is that deep that calls to each of us when we wander along the wet beach with the waves crashing in our ears. Some of my happiest memories are of a wonderful childhood growing up in those crashing waves at every opportunity. Then! Ah. Weekends meant no school!
My memories always turn to the ocean as my most idyllic moments in nature. The ocean celebrates with ever crashing wave and each spectacular sunset over the vast horizon. There is no comparing it. When I think of the ocean my mind can hear the crashing waves and feel the salty breeze and I am comforted. Even a moments stroll in the wet sand is a celebration. I love to celebrate. I especially love to celebrate when there is no reason except being alive! I love to celebrate with those that I love. I still hate being told when to celebrate. I have holiday fever so I best stay away from holidays. But give me any other day of the year and let's make it spectacular!!
Sooooooooo beautiful!!! I wish I could beam myself there for couple of days. All the snow is gone now and we are having a really nasty weather!!!
Freezing weather with snow is wonderful but the nasty weather just makes winter unpleasant. I hope it passes quickly. We're having a surprisingly cool summer but I could also wander that vast sandy shore for a couple days.....
Officially the winter is not until the 21st, so I guess the nasty weather is appropriate for theis time of year. Today is gloomy dark sky and hazard wind warning with 7C which is quite warm. But tomorrow should be -2C with little bit of sun.
But I agree, spending time on beach is the best! There is nothing like it. I have some photos from summertime on the beach. Maybe I should share them 🧡🌞🧡
Some summer sunshine and sandy shores to remind you of what is to come to look forward to!
Absolutely!
Thank you @qurator
Hey Buckaroobaby
I swear you are like my soul sister! I totally understand your feelings about the "holidays" - I am exactly the same. Christmas is the absolute worst for me and I actually dread it every year and I breathe a deep sigh of relief when it passes. I don't tell people this because they don't understand and think I'm crazy. I am a bit crazy but definitely not crazy about the hype at the end of the year.
I'm so glad you had this time and made it an awesome time. It really is the simple things in life that are so worth celebrating and I also miss the sea now that we live far away from it. When I took my daughter to Knysna a few months ago, that first breath of salty sea air that I took reached in and filled my heart and soul with "homeness". I totally get it.
Feeling like a beached whale sucketh monumentally and I can commiserate - I'm currently 7 months and starting to feel EXACTLY like that. Drives me nuts most days.
I'd love to meet you guys and share a cup of coffee with you.
Have a lovely week
xx Andy
Hi Andy!
People would most definitely think you are crazy! I have pretty much been this way my entire life. I remember my younger brother accusing me (in high school) of ruining Christmas because I was rather outspoken about the insincerity of it all.
Oh and CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I am so excited for you. At least this summer isn't too bad. My babies were all born at the end of winter. So phew! I was already suffering those last couple months. To be like a beached whale through summer, I don't know.... how old is your daughter.
Coffee would be good - although I literally never leave the farm. Maybe send me your email rather?
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I can understand why you dislike holidays. Every single day is a holiday to me. I celebrate life. I celebrate love. I celebrate my family. As we all have jobs that require us to work, we have to sort of schedule our time together. Are there gifts? Sometimes, but, it is not about the gifts. It never has been.
I was born on the Atlantic Seaboard, so the ocean is my home. One of the reasons I have the other house on the coast -because I could not bear being without some part of it.
I really do understand. For the most part, I have to agree with you. ❤️
To be fair, my kids and I have spent many Christmas Eve's passing out handmade gifts to the Retirement Home residents, those who have nobody. Soup kitchens, feeding Christmas Eve dinner to homeless. It is not that we didn't have anywhere to go or people to be with, we wanted to be with people that needed someone. We would always have each other. The holiday doesn't have to be about gifts ... sometimes the gift you give is yourself.
I hope it is all getting better there. xo
That is wonderful Denise! I am not at all surprised. I did it too but I find it really heartbreaking. Such a bittersweet offering. I can see that for you the times would be about family. Togetherness. Celebrating each others life and the love you share.
And a coastal second home! Forget coming here for that Black Forest cake, maybe I should bring it to you....on the beach
Beautiful - I agree with you on almost everything you wrote. How I hate meaningless gifts for the purpose of... a gift? Why? Why spend money on stuff that ends up in a bin in the end - stupid.
Many years ago I used to give my mom flowers on a random day and tell her 'why not today, I love you, I don't need it to be your birthday to tell and show you'.
And I guess it depends on the family if get-togethers are more of a boring, polite thing or if they are fun. You experienced fun ones 😇. The obligation about all of it is what I hate. Obligation and expectation by society. No, thank you.
When I selected my subject for this weekend's WE topic it was a tough choice between what I wrote and the ocean. I love the ocean! I'm sure I'll write about it again.
Keep celebrating being alive!
p.s. and I also always take ages to write up a post, unless it is a 'spontaneous writing' one like yesterday's - there is nothing wrong with taking the time a good post deserves.
What sweet comments you leave @oceanbee! And I assumed by your choice of oceanbee that you also love the ocean.
Yes, obligation and expectancy should not dictate our celebrations.
This is beautiful, love the photos!
We could celebrate every moment of our lives and we could be the happiest beings on earth! The way I see it, celebration is a way to express gratitude and gratitude is half way to happiness as a lovely teacher once told me. No need for great excuses just celebrate anything anytime.
I also like searching for paganistic roots in all these big holidays, there is always something interesting in the background ;)
Love!