Holi - daze

Hello,

So we've made it through another holiday season, I see. Hope all went well with you & yours.
Back to my regular schedule, Thank God. It really wasn't too bad, and the extra $ will come in handy. See, I not only have to deal with Christmas, but also my daughter's birthday, which is January 9th. She's turning 17, a weird age for girls. I asked her what she wants for her birthday, and she said "Oh, I dunno". Look, I know she wants a car of her own, and she's also talked of wanting a dog/puppy. I can't decide which of those two are worse, honestly. The winter actually helps, because it puts a damper on some of these things. I mean, who in their right mind is going to get a new dog in the middle of winter? Same thing with a car - I sure as hell am not going car shopping in these God-awful temperatures. Yeah, I know a lot of it can be done online, but you still have to test-drive the thing, right? Anyway, the winter buys me some time to get the dollars, and the head, together.
I would always think to myself, "OK, I've made it through Christmas, now just the kid's birthday." I know that sounds kind of callous ("Where's your holiday spirit?"), but it really has been something, at least over the last few years, that I've had to "make it through." It's almost like winter, especially for truck drivers in the snow areas. "Yep, made it through another winter." I see my job the same way, "Made it through another trip/route, whatever" Stopping to "smell the roses" is not in my vocabulary. If I stopped, all I'd smell is diesel and shit! So, you "keep on keeping on, till the day breaks, and the shadows flee away..." (one of my favorite quotes, by the way).
I've probably said this before, but, as I get older, I think I'm getting crabbier. It's funny, because
we always made fun of grumpy old men, and now I find myself turning into one. The Archie Bunker Syndrome, as I call it. I know, I can change, just as Ebeneezer Scrooge did, but it can be really tough, you know? I get annoyed more easily; it seems as if I'm being pulled in several different directions, by the demands of: my boss, my wife, my daughter, my sleep, my business, etc. I need a vacation. I get three weeks this year, Yipeeeee!
Look, I'm not a "Debbie Downer" (Wah, wah, wah...),. In fact, this time of year, the New Year, brings me a sense of hope. Not necessarily resolutions, which most of us fail at anyway, but a hope that the coming year will be better than the last. I hear song lyrics popping up all over the place here. It's definitely a time for reflection on life (for me) ; you know, where have I been, where am I going, that kind of thing. I still smoke, I still over eat, don't take particuluarly good care of myself, that has to change, because I DO want to dance at my daughter's wedding, and I DO want to hold my grandchildren in my arms, and I WILL!
Time to go car shopping...

More soon,

Steve