LIFE IS A BANQUET

The actress Rosalind Russell starred in many movies during her long career. She also wrote a biography titled: Life is a Banquet. 

In the original 1958 movie 'Mame', a character says that Auntie Mame says "Life is a Banquet but most poor Bastards are starving to death". 

I think this is a great perspective to have about life and most of the time now, somewhat to my surprise, I find it easier than I ever have to feel this way about life in general.

However, in mid to late winter, when the Northern Hemisphere is being smacked down by one of the worst Winters in decades, I among those loaded down with grim, pinched faces at the moment. We are dragging ourselves through the February blahs. 

The winter has been with us long enough to be past any pleasure that first snow fall (now a distant memory) may have brought out in us. 

A White Christmas, Pooh. Whatever made that seem a nice idea? All too white this Christmas. For many, without heat or power too.

However, whatever you feel on yet another snowy winter's day, soon life will take us into another day and another week and another season. Another turn of the wheel of life. 

The passage of time brings with it a lifetime of various experiences. Even as winter gave us snow today, and I was really late for a medical specialist's appointment and needed to spend $20 for a taxi; as I stood waiting, I was outside, and not cold at all.

Better still, unlike the domino effect, of starting late and appointment after appointment going wrong and being late all day for all of them; being late from the first made me late for the second, BUT, the rest of the day went well.

I think so much of living, especially when times are trying and the very world seems to not make sense, is going to depend more and more on our personal perspective and view of our lives. I am convinced that letting our priorities and perspective quickly reassert themselves, will keep us on an even keel whatever is going on around us.

Maybe sometimes, we are going to need to 'fake it till you make it' and take a deep breath and put on a cheerful face until we feel better. However, I think it is the easiest way to feel that our lives are moving in the right direction. 

Nevertheless, in the immediate future, I am beginning to think that now more than ever, 'We can use a little Christmas, now' (a phrase and song from the Mame movie). The spirit that, that time of year seems to bring out in so many of us, might be just the thing to evoke and remember now and use to pull us along. 

Until the weather decides we can put our winter garments and mid February blahs, away for another year, we may have to give our attitude a little positive pushup. 

The good thing is there are fewer than 5 weeks till spring plus a few more days of the Winter Olympics to justify and experience in the warm indoors.