IDEA - 9-11-2020
by
Patrick Ryan
1,626 Words
Consistency can be a double-edged sword; you've been with family and friends through the years. It's Christmas Eve; you're alone in a darkened room away from the celebrations beyond the shared wall. A believer in God for one night, hoping that all of your troubles will be miles away next year. This night has become a reflective oasis of turbulent thoughts that mainly dominate your prefrontal cortex. It could be the lights all around, the childhood lore of that night, or maybe something more spiritual is going on; regardless, you look back in disappointment and hope that the future is brighter. However, things are just worse every year. Not as many people are seated around the table, and friends have a new gravity of adult obligations and traditions anew. What was once a promising night has become a reminder that you are not the person you had hoped you would become. As you sit in the living room, mesmerized by a Christmas tree's twinkling, you are now 35, and this personal tradition may come to an end. There are only four people left at the table, and two of them are elderly and ill. For the first time since this ritual began, the reflective oasis has become an angry nightmare. Sadness is creeping when you come to the realization that you don't even know where you're going to be next year—blindsided by the unnerving fact that time wins all the arguments. So, have yourself a merry little Christmas, from now on, not only will your troubles be out of sight, so will you.
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