who knew the power of christmas lights?

this is gonna start out sounding negative.
but it so isn't.
really.

it's something that when i heard i went right to myself
and told myself to remember this and concentrate
on the good....don't do the negative stuff.

i really want to use this and remember this.
i thought i'd offer it here for anyone else who this works
with.

it starts with people. and people say things.
and then they tell me about it.
seems like that happens a lot.
people tell me what other people said about me.
it's weird.
but i do feel like i get that a lot.

anyway, thru the grapevine, i heard a neighbor was
grumbling about me putting up my christmas lights so early.

this kinda made me grin right away,
cause the nite after we put ours up, we saw another
neighbor put theirs up and we were so delighted!
we said 'hey! maybe we started something!'
well, apparently, not with everyone.
and this one neighbor wasn't liking the whole deal.

so i heard about it.

now, here's the deal......the person who doesn't like it,
is a nice person. she really is. and if she knew that i did
it to honor someone i lost, she'd feel completely different
about it. if she knew i did it cause it made me feel good on
a hard day, she'd be all for it.

but she doesn't know that.
and for some kooky reason it hits something irritating inside
of her.

i've got kooky stuff that hits irritating stuff inside of me.
and truly, when i step back and look at that stuff i gotta say
'huh? why?'

there's no reason for me to be irritated by most things i'm
irritated at. and if i really knew what was goin' on, i bet
there's really not much at all out there that'd rank as irritating.

and that's what hit me about the story.
i'm fine that she's irritated.
if it comes up, i'll explain.
if it doesn't, i won't.
i love my lights, and i'm perfectly comfortable with anyone
feeling whatever they feel about them. so i don't have a problem
there. it really doesn't matter.

what i get is that someone really nice would feel differently if
they had the whole story.

and i know darn well that's me a whole lotta times.

and i want to change that.
i really do.

it's funny how incredibly meaningful xmas lights are becoming to me.
when my dad was dying, the drive back and forth from the hospital
was so much easier because of those lights. i was amazed at how
much they meant to me. and now they help me get thru a rough day,
and a hard time. and now......they'll be reminding me to remember
there's usually more going on than i know,  and to just allow and be.

isn't that the coolest thing?
i wanted to share....