Hitting the Holiday Pause Button to Whine, Cough, and Hope

By Trish Holder

It’s December 10th and I’ve yet to put up a single decoration, buy a present or even a tree. And I’m tempted to end this blog with that.

Truth is, I have a tickly throat and a cough that has been wrecking my sleep (and my husband’s) for the last three nights.  Besides that, I have lot of non-holiday thoughts swimming through my brain.

I’m hoping my son will do better than he thinks he will on the Micro-econ torture exam he must take this morning.  I’m anticipating--and bracing--for his return home from college for winter break. (Those of you who have kids in college will understand that one.)  I’m also wondering what next year will be like, when my daughter returns home from her first semester at college, after my husband and I have experienced those first few bittersweet months as empty nesters.

All that’s a mere sliver of what drifted in and out of my mind in between waking and sitting down to write this blog which I should have written weeks ago.

Forgive me if all this seems a bit off topic for a woman who writes about mechanical HVAC systems for a living but right now I’m going to take a moment, pop another cough drop, and be real. 

For once I want to sit down at the computer and write something that doesn’t involve a fan, pump, or refrigeration cycle.  I need to clear my head and just let words flow without intent or direction. Because this job can be quite challenging from time to time and occasionally I experience a little bit of what is known as writer’s block.

There.  I said it. I have writer's block.    

It’s not tragic.  Come Monday, I’ll pick up the reins and drive this keyboard through some dense topics and hopefully leave behind something that is both inspiring and compelling about heating and cooling.  In the meantime, a couple of things might make it easier.  For instance, my son could text me and say that the test wasn’t so hard after all and that he thinks he did okay.  Or my daughter might actually help us decorate the tree without us having to beg her.

(Like they read my blog. Whatever. A girl can hope.)

Anyway, fo those who DO read my blog, I grant you all a few minutes to also “be real.” Do something that feeds your soul. Be mindful of how quickly the years fly by without worrying about the clock or the calendar. And remember, a holiday can be made in a single moment, so what's the point of laboring for days to make it perfect?