Haiku 2023–361
Christmas brought me toys
but the mail man brings me bills
adults must adult
— —
Growing up, Christmas meant toys. At fifty-two years old, it means a whole lot more, but it also means toys.
I received several things on Christmas that I’d like to spend more time with — a digital sign that sits at the intersection of my interests in writing and technology, a cookbook full of recipes waiting to be made, several books designed to augment my spiritual journey, an autobiography from a childhood hero. I could easily fill the entire rest of the week with all of these… but I can’t.
My wife and I were able to be generous with each other over the holidays due to one simple fact — we work hard for our employers and are well-compensated for that work. One of the benefits of my wife’s job is that there is no need for her services this week and her employers pays for her to rest and relax. One of the drawbacks of my employment is that the operation I support runs 24/7/365. That makes today just another Wednesday where things need to be done. I could burn a vacation day if I wanted to, but I have that earmarked for other adventures next year that are far more enticing than sitting at home and piddling around. To that end, I will get out of the comfy chair shortly after finishing this post and start working my way towards work knowing that while not the fun decision, it is the right decision.
