The line moves imperceptibly Blind to the naked eye Shuffling in perfect rhythm Like trains on a track Waiting for the sign to move Impatiently they stir Those ants in a row Black-suited for show With their hollow eyes And yellow-jacket smiles Their voices rise in pitch Unintelligible staccato With anger undisguised Staring straight into … Continue reading In the Queue
“The circle of life is more appropriately an elongated series of curves that meets itself and meanders on into tomorrow.” -Theodicus
Elton John sang a song about the circle of life, which was a big hit in The Lion King, and it focused on how all living things follow this circle of life and death, that it all comes around again and repeats itself. Hence, the circle metaphor. But I believe more in what Theodicus says about this supposed circle. Life is a series of hits and misses of sorts, a collection of choose your own adventure-type experiences, decisions that completely change your course and create or destroy possible scenarios. So, the circle of life might “move us all,” and it might connect us all, but it also is defined by us as a circuitous path that makes everything possible or impossible.
“It’s the circle of life, and it moves us all. Through despair and hope, through faith and love, till we find out place on the path unwinding in the circle of life…” -Tim Rice (music by Elton John)
What I do love about the song, however, is the idea that life is continuous, that even though people die, others are also being born, that this is the great connection that proves our humanity. It’s also probably why most of us are obsessed with our own mortality, counting birthdays like they’re steps along a death march, fascinated by the idea of vampires or zombies who “live” beyond death, even if we know they’re not real. Even if we know we wouldn’t be able to have a real life even if they were. But in the reality that we live through, it is possible to “carry on dancing,” even after death. It is through our progeny that we can keep existing, that the world keeps moving along even after we die. Continue reading “Circle of Life”
My first Christmas here it snowed puppies and kittens. Now, I’m a Philly boy born and raised, so a little snow never bothers me. I grew up around snow plows and getting snowed in (on occasion), so I thought I was prepared for a true, honest-to-goodness upstate New York winter. I was not. And Christmas was the perfect time to discover that for the first time.
The blizzard of 2002 started rather inauspiciously, with a few snow flurries on Christmas Eve, but by the time we rolled out of bed on the special morning and shuffled to the large picture window in our fuzzy robes and slippers our mouths were agape at the winter wonderland that awaited us. And we both thought at the same time, “shovels.” Then the shifts began, the great Christmas dig-out.
She had the first shift, bundling up against the cold, grabbing the nearest shovel and getting to work while I made hot chocolate for both of us in our tiny kitchen. I couldn’t help thinking about the insane juxtaposition of spending Christmas in Tennessee in 2001 when it was a balmy 50 degrees with nary a snowflake in the sky. What a difference a year (and a couple thousand miles) makes.
Then it was my turn, and I took the same shovel she used, feeling a kinship with her as I grabbed its handle. Either that or it was just damn cold. As I headed out into the abyss that was our yard, I knew I would be out there for a while. And it kept snowing the whole time. That was the craziest part of it. We were just trying to keep status quo in the midst of so much of the white, fluffy stuff.
It was my job to dig out the cars. Snow had come up almost to the windows while the storm had raged on Christmas Eve, and the position of our driveway at the time was down near the road. I had to shovel through what seemed like miles of yard just to get to the vehicles, and my arms were exhausted from the effort. Then it took a Herculean effort to shovel around the car wheels, creating an island of car in the sea of snow. Then I dug out the second one. Continue reading “White-Out Christmas”
T’is the season once again, when hordes of people descend upon retail establishments, searching for the latest and greatest in electronics, entertainment, toys, and games. These kindly folks are given lists by their diligent children, or grandchildren, or nieces, or nephews, or godkids, lists of items for Santa to bring them. These items range from beats by dre headphones, to BMX bikes, to Lego Chima, to Monster High dolls, to basically anything else you can find on the shelves with a price tag on it. And each year, the “must-haves” are different. This year’s “must-haves” were:
I know they were the “must-haves” because of the plethora of phone calls to the store from 8 o’clock on every morning since November 12th, asking for the availability of said items. That’s of course in addition to the people wanting bungee chairs, rocker chairs, microwaves, Kitchen-Aid attachments (and mixers), vacuum cleaners, Keurig machines, and beer making kits. It honestly blows my mind the sheer numbers generated by a retail store just in that month between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Numbers of guests in the building on any given day, at any given hour. Numbers of guests through the checkout lines. Numbers of average items in each cart. Numbers of dollars spent on those items. Numbers of team members assigned to the electronics, entertainment, and toys areas of the store on any given day, at any given hour.
And this year I was responsible for two major areas of the store for the holidays: perishables, and TOYS. Now, if you’ve been following this series, you’ll know that my primary job at Target is the perishables assistant, meaning I am responsible for making sure all of our fresh food is indeed fresh, that it’s full on the floor, and that an order goes in systematically so we can maintain the other two. I think many people forget in the maelstrom over in electronics, entertainment, and toys, that food is a huge seller this time of year as well and helps to maintain the other areas of the store. Anyway, though, I was asked this year to expand my talents and take over the daunting task of also maintaining Toys. Continue reading “Keeping It Brand, Part 12”
It’s all about hesitation That moment before the next Before everything changes Like a shifting of tides One step before the next The ticking of the clock Paused before each chime Pen hovering over paper Thoughts scattered Like so many rain drops In the midst of a dry season Marked by tentative nature Exposed in … Continue reading Hesitation Marks
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Exploring life, love, lifting, and (almost) literally everything else, frequently aided by laughter and libations
Just a small town girl who writes about Christian stuff.
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