The Holidays for me are…
Silence, my best pal, phone calls and me.
***
I stand at the very top of the mountain, looking out over the great vale, my accomplishment this Holiday. Thank God I bought new winter boots before I made the journey, the old ones would definitely not have been able to handle this year’s adventure, despite my wallet believing so!
“Come on, buddy, get in the shot with me!”
Roxy stares out into the big world. I wonder if dogs ever wonder how small and insignificant they are in the great scheme of things, much like humans. If not, then this view might just ignite the spark of critical thinking for her. She’s completely lost, not reacting at all to me.
“Roxy, I’m not gonna ask twice! Get over here!” I laugh.
That finally seems to have broken the spell, and my 30 kilo white Labrador pounces on me, ecstatic that she gets to share this moment with me. I’m so glad that despite the many years of performing our tradition, she still hasn’t grown weary of it. Quite the opposite, she’s just as thrilled now as she was as a pup carried in my backpack.
CLICK!
It is the perfect shot! Snapchat, Facebook, everyone will see it now! Despite the wilderness, the 4G is still able to send and receive messages across the world, and luckily, phone calls as well. And in just a few moments th-
“Superstar, where you from, how’s it going?”
The sound of Britney Spears and ‘Womanizer’ fills the air, and I know I’m destined for minutes, if not hours of talking to my entire family, hearing how much they miss me at the Christmas table. I miss them as well, of course, but I see them so often anyways.
On Christmas, I’m fine with being alone, well, except Roxy of course. I don’t need to force myself into a nice dress at a Christmas party where I feel like an alien despite my entire family being there. Instead, I celebrate someone I feel needs to be celebrated.
Me.
My accomplishments. My resilience. My resolve. The first time I told my mom I was going mountain hiking for Christmas, alone, she nearly jumped through the roof. Probably recreating her fears for me at an absurd height, to jump.
But I didn’t. I refused. I chose this instead.
The air, it smells clean up here. Just like I am, for the fifth year in a row. I can do this. Every step, is a step forward. I might tumble, I might fall, I might hurt, and might feel like I’ve lost it all. But I keep climbing. Every year, I prove that I can climb this mountain.
Roxy and I.
Christmas is a celebration of all we hold dear and those around us. That’s why I share this moment with them. But what I’m truly celebrating today, as I stand atop what feels like the world, looking into the great unknown
Is me.
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