The Little Things

Christmas lights, giant ornaments, deer, and sledding hills.

What do all of these things have in common?

Last night, on my way home from the movies with some friends, I had one of the most fantastic cab rides of my life. Now I know I say this a lot. I refer to everything as "the best", so does that word really have any meaning in my dictionary? YES. This cab ride was splendid in every meaning of the word. The cab smelt wonderful, our driver was very friendly, the only thing that could have made it better is if it was free (which no, it was not).

The first things that really caught my attention were the Christmas lights. We were driving around downtown, and I began to notice the small twinkles bobbing in and out of my vision as we passed them by: blue, green, red, yellow-and of course the clear, traditional white lining the trees on the sidewalk. In the center of the town were three very large, very beautiful ornaments, each painted red. Draped over the windows of shops and little stores were more lights, more garland and wreaths and holly. This most certainly is the most wonderful time of the year.

And something I suppose you should know about me is that I am a Christmas junkie. Everything Christmas. Tree, stockings-I have even experienced the distaste that is a fruit cake. And every little bit of Christmas that I can soak into my system is worth it. It's what I look most forward to every year.

Now to the part of the story that gets random. As we drove down our little pathway, the cab driver decided to show us the downtown zoo. And there, at the entrance, were two stoic, grazing deer. We pulled up to them and they lifted their heads to us, but other than that, they were completely still. Only a few feet away too! We took pictures of them, and I, being my philosophical self, realized what beautiful creatures they were. So gentle and graceful. I felt privileged to be in their presence, to have them allow me to gaze at them with such admiration.

I'm sure this makes me sound odd. You have to know me to understand. It's the little things.

On our last stop before heading back to the dorms, we went to a golf course and learned of the best hills to sled on in the winter. This took me back to so many memories of when I was younger. It was a much simpler time. I didn't have to worry about my future, or my past. Everything was about the present. All that mattered was that I hop on that little piece of plastic and get down that hill as fast as possible, so I could experience the euphoria of sledding. All I want is to go back to that.

It's the little things that excite me. Partying, staying up late all night doing stupid things; that's all fine and dandy. If that's your thing, kudos to you. That's just not me.

I love Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen. I love singing in the car so loud I can't actually hear the radio. I love driving in a taxi and seeing Christmas lights, giant ornaments, deer, and sledding hills.

I love the little things.