Too Many Birds

I find it pretty ironic that the last entry I made was about being thankful that things didn't go according to plan. Because here we are again.

Things I Would Have Been Shocked to Hear Would Happen This Year If You'd Told Me in August:

• tour of our summer show cut short due to impending surgery (still did 45 shows)!

• being cast in the titular role at a theater I've dreamed of being a apart of since moving to Maine (all while having procedures done to tide me over until surgery)

• SURGERY

• being promoted and falling even more in love with my job than before

• buying our first home

• beginning renovations/designs for our 100+ year old home

• moving into said home during the weekend of a snowstorm

• being offered two very exciting but slightly terrifying freelance opportunities

• getting extremely excited about a silly YA contemporary I'm drafting

Christmas, my absolute favorite time of the year, feels different this year. No decorations, no presents, less holly, but still lots of jolly. To be fair, we put a tree up in the new house on Thanksgiving, the day after we closed, but it's hidden by tools and boxes. Part of me is already dreaming of next Christmas when my house will (hopefully) be beautiful and decorated and clean and friends and family can be anticipating presents I've painstakingly selected for them.

But the other part of me is very excited for this Christmas that I know we'll never forget. I'm exhausted and nearing burnout and feeling a little discombobulated as we still attempt to move out of the apartment, but these are good things to be overwhelmed by.

It makes me think of the twelve days of Christmas. None of those gifts, the lords a leaping or maids a milking or swans a swimming, seem like they'd be very welcome. Way more of an inconvenience (except for maybe those five golden rings) than blessings. So these gifts this year, as overwhelming as they are, are all welcome and exciting. I'll pass on the geese a laying and the calling birds, thank you very much.