It astounds me sometimes how holidays have changed for me. As I child I looked upon them with such anticipation – with the same degree of excitement as I see in my youngest son now. He is filled with glee at the thought of hunting for chocolate eggs, even though he won’t eat them. So what has changed? Why am I not able to see life as I did, through the eyes of a child?
I think it’s only because I choose not to. The changes that occur within myself I have the choice to modify. Ah, the disillusionment of adulthood. A sad state of affairs indeed.
I need a glass of wine.
lindaghill.com 
June 20, 2014 at 5:30 pm
It’s almost wine time here. I’m watching the clock. 😉
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June 20, 2014 at 8:13 pm
Ugh, me too! 🙂
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March 31, 2013 at 6:20 pm
I’ve had the same thoughts every holiday for the past few years. I keep thinking I should borrow someone else’s kids for awhile so I can get all excited about dyeing Easter eggs and making bunny shaped cakes, so I could at least experience their excitement and wonder vicariously.
Oh, but then there’d be kitchen cleanup, dishes to wash, stains on my counters… just pass the wine!
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March 31, 2013 at 6:33 pm
Ha ha! Yes, the wine part of the deal is essential.
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March 31, 2013 at 2:08 am
I am much the same. The holidays have seem to have lost much of their gleam. I suspect a good dose of cynicism based on what we know is now true because we were lied to all of our lives. It’s a love/hate thing with where we thought we should be (because TV and movies said life always turns out great and that ‘you too can make lots of money’). Now that we are here (adults) we realize tht money is nothing but debt (there only being a single source who lends it out at interest to banks et al) and it is never ending.
All the useful skills we need every day were never taught in school (finance mainly, what home ownership means, taxes…) and now that we are there, we have to struggle and fight to understand at the ’11th hour’ because no one ever told us it was important.
So, we are left with this feeling of ‘I am supposed to be successful’ that is juxtaposed by ‘money is debt, more money means more debt, means someone looses a job, someone losses a house’. How can you ever possibly balance the two?
You slowly begin to realize that there are other parts of life that are way more important and you wonder how the hell can you get there now? Living in another country may have been your life dream but with about 70-90% of your income going out the door just so you can keep your head above water, it’s a dream that will never come true because you can’t conceptualize the idea of selling everything and ‘getting the hell outta Dodge’.
That ugly saying of ‘a quiet life of desparation’ is exactly where modern economics wants you because it can sustain itself (till the next crash and that is a gauranteed/planned cycle) and you keep dreaming.
Those of us who do the ‘wild and wacky’ thing of ditching everything, moving abroad and seeing the world in a perspective that is only possible by those doing so, are gaining a wisdom beyond what they thought possible. Our minds are much clearer(the amount varies by the amount of attachment to your old life) and possibilities begin to open.
Holidays still aren’t quite gleeful, mainly because you are likely to be in a country where the holidays are different, but there are moments that have that little bit of magic that has been missing for awhile.
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March 31, 2013 at 8:35 am
Thank you for your well thought-out comment! I agree, it’s difficult to ignore all that responsibility, money (and lack thereof) being probably the hardest of all. I suppose it might be a little easier when your focus is only on the kids… I just realised I don’t know whether or not you’re a father. I imagine you must have moments when you miss being back in Canada and that the whole exoticism of living in another country might wear thin after a while.
I do wish you a Happy Easter. May you find all the magic you wish for. 🙂
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March 31, 2013 at 10:15 am
I’m not a father (We like handing kids back at the end of the day…also makes travelling easier too 😉 ). Oddly, I don’t miss Canada really. Sure some stuff would be nice to get (A decent burger on a regular basis comes to mind…) and convenient hobby stores (electronics, and I mean the little tiny stuff like resistors and such) but the trade off is that you can just order anything online. Hell, even pets(Tarantula ordering anyone? https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-d1-uKULQWCE/TYQOYT6dO2I/AAAAAAAAGok/5XT0BrAM_ac/s800/photo0016.jpg). That and I lived in a ‘relatively’ geologically boring part of Canada. Meaning pretty flat. Here I am quite literally surrounded by mountains. Love it! A visit home every now and then is required because of mom, of course 🙂 Otherwise she wouldn’t be happy any more 😀
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March 31, 2013 at 11:13 am
First, I don’t think I could survive more than a couple of weeks without Tim Horton’s so if you don’t miss that, you’re lucky. Second, did you really actually order that critter online? Remind me never to get a job as a postman/courier. Third, moms are important! 🙂
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March 31, 2013 at 7:22 pm
Well, I am not without resources. I have lots of Tim Hortons coffee with me now but to be honest, I found some Indonesia coffee that is way better…seriously, and that’s saying alot. ANd yes, I can legally say that as I amnot on Canadian Soil so the Government can’t charge me with Heresey for uttering such statements 😛
And no, that is the pic of a friend’s pet that he ordered online. My wife would never, ever let me have one of those in our place. Not that’s I’d want one any ways really but they are cool 🙂
Consider this your reminder 😀
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March 31, 2013 at 9:30 pm
You’re never too far away to escape the Timmie’s police!
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March 31, 2013 at 9:34 pm
Tims refused to set up shop here so they get what they deserve. They are sooo missing out here. https://eyagee.wordpress.com/2011/01/11/146/
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March 31, 2013 at 9:59 pm
I’ve been saying for a long time that Tim’s needs to expand. I have family in London who would buy it – in fact they do at a little shop downtown that sells large cans of coffee for upwards around $40 each.
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March 31, 2013 at 10:24 pm
We had a Canadian friend bring us back two cans of it when he went home to visit 🙂
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March 30, 2013 at 5:22 pm
Hi, I’ve nominated you for the Dragon’s Loyalty Award. Please know that I understand if you don’t have time to post it on your site 🙂 I just wanted to personally thank you – here is the link http://wrestling-life.com/2013/03/30/dragons-loyalty-award/
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March 30, 2013 at 5:25 pm
Thank you! I’ll have a look at the info when I have time 🙂
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March 30, 2013 at 5:27 pm
No worries. You don’t even have to look…it’s long…and it takes a long time to follow what the award tells you to do. I just wanted you to know that I’m thankful for your encouragement and support 🙂
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