b.o. humbug

it is almost Christmas...and since the greasy smell of latkes are long gone for me, I am remembering Christmas smells of my childhood...those holiday smells for Jewish kids on Christmas...depending on the weather...buttery popcorn at the movies...or a crisp waft of fresh snow, ice-skating outdoors...then my poor nose defrosting over the steam of hot chocolate...mmm...a plastic container of egg drop soup...back to reality...these past days...it's been a somewhat unpleasant potpourri...the aroma of December rain underfoot...or what was supposed to be a fresh pine arrangement over my hairdresser's chair...she said it was causing her nausea...she found it kind of putrid...asked what I thought...I inhaled and agreed, "nella, that's 70's subway"...today, at physical therapy (another story) as I moved to use some arm bands I came within a few arms lengths of a fellow patient...he was around my age and was usually there on the same days...loved to show his muscles in tanks no matter the weather...I counted as I stretched...one...two...ew...what the hell was that?...three...four...holy shit...he wreaked...it was the longest count to thirty of my life...but then I can always thank my memory...still relatively intact...and I closed my eyes...I floated back to wonderful smells of Christmas at neighbors and friend's homes...trees...candles...a plate of cookies still warm placed in my lap...for all my Christian friends...wishing you the most blessed day...and may all your memories be sweet and heaven scent...

rolling in the deep....

back from a cruise celebrating our 25th anniversary...within the first hour of boarding I thought I'd hit the writer's jackpot...a virtual explosion of material after days of a drought...first, the reservation line at the Italian restaurant...the foursome in front of us had literally walked out of a Seinfeld episode...the poor hostess was doing her best...she offered different dining times but the leader of the pack was not sure he'd make the show in the theater with each one she offered...this with two shows an evening...but he wasn't convinced...would he really make the beginning of the show...and still the hostess tried...with patience as deep as the ocean...mine was wearing thin...next...an incredible amount of scooters every where I went...no disrespect to any disabled fellow traveler but when one came within inches of ramming my ankle I began to read my future obituary...death by scooter...most had no clue how to operate them...but that did not stop their plowing into elevators and crowds at the buffet...again, I thought of Seinfeld and the episode where George was chased by an angry mob on scooters...our first stop was Princess Cays, in Eleuthera...a great little spot run by Princess...as I sat on the beach, the ocean in front, I thought, paradise...Bob Marley from the speakers..."One Love"...how nice...then I heard the song a second time...and soon realized it was a continuous loop...after the 20th time I thought if I heard that song again I would scream so loud they would hear me in Nebraska...I may have to burn my CD...that night as we headed south we encountered a nasty weather pattern and strong winds...let's just say I thought I saw Kate Winslet and Leonardo DiCaprio floating by as I stumbled into the cabin and prayed for a good wine-induced coma...when we did hit land after that, in Curacao the weather was not too pretty...it made for interesting dinner conversation that night with other couples...to our left was a charming couple from Florida...he was a spry 92!...very much like Lloyd Bridges in his later years...his wife, 82, was adorable...they'd been married 19 years - second marriages for both...when he helped her to her feet at the end of dinner and escorted her on his arm I couldn't help but smile...the weather changed the next day...the sun finally returned...our day in Aruba was great...but with the sun came a new horror...men well on the far side of 50 in speedos!...is it just me?....and most were married...who were these wives?....but then I saw something else...a man who obviously had some type of disability named Eddie had become the star of the cruise....he was everyone's friend and cheerfully had the crowd clapping and smiling when the live band played Luke Bryant for him...the last day as I left the pool there was Eddie...smiling with his new friends...I turned back and he cheerfully waved bye to me...and now I am home and it is snowy and cold...and in no time my tan will fade and the daily grind will have me again...but I really think I will always remember that older couple...the twinkle in their eyes...and the real joy strangers felt in Eddie's smile...a wonderful way to celebrate our milestone...and the real message of the holiday season...