Trying New Things

History in the making: My first time ever buying
holiday decorations for a holiday that isn't Christmas.

All day Tuesday, I was trying to think of ways to break out of my daily rut. Day-to-day is mostly the same-old, same-old, transporting household members to various engagements, tidying up the house, writing, trying to find time to be creative in the evenings between dinner and bedtime while occupying Ruby. I just sort of coast along and coast along doing my little thing, and most days I have no idea what day it is, or how far into the month we are. Mine, like everyone's, is a rote, robotic existence at times. Eat, work, eat, work, eat, play, sleep. Life just moving right on by without you fully in it.

I read my horoscope every morning. Sometimes they're spot on, and sometimes I wonder if they got Taurus mixed up with Virgo. I don't put much stock in horoscopes, especially when it's a mass-produced Yahoo! version of things, but I do like the advice that they give. Here was Wednesday's horoscope:

Have you gotten a bit lazy about exploring new things? It can seem like a lot of work to try something new or investigate a new restaurant to go to with friends. The tried-and-true is so easy and safe! But unless you add a new element of the unfamiliar to your life, how are you going to find any exhilaration or inspiration? Try someplace new today, or start a conversation with a stranger. Keep trying new things until something exciting happens.

So I thought trying something new might be a good way to break out of the rut.  My first thought was to part my hair on the left instead of the right. Because that's how adventurous I am. I thought and thought all day, what can I do, what can I do, what can I do....and aside from taking a scenic driving route or hauling my office up to the dining room table for a day, I could think of nothing new to try that would make much of a difference in my level of exhilaration or inspiration. 

Remember Liz? Ruby's cousin and twice-weekly daycare provider? Well. Let me tell you. Liz has four kids, two in kindergarten and two in diapers, and she has one on the way. Instead of popping into Russ's Market at 8:15 on Kindergarten Christmas Party day to buy a few dozen cupcakes for 42 kindergarteners, she spent a good amount of time gluing pipe cleaners, googly eyes and a red puffball nose to 42 candy canes, turning them into reindeer. For Valentines Day, she's using a new frosting she's been experimenting with to make 42 conversation heart cookies for the kids' classes. She's writing each of the 42 kindergartener's names on the cookies and tying them with ribbon in a cellophane bag. Oh, and did I mention she has four kids? With one on the way? Sometimes I find it difficult to get up the energy and wherewithal to brush my teeth in the morning. 

Liz reminds me of my mom, who made every holiday extraordinarily special, building up excitement and getting creative and festive to make a kid feel really, really loved.

And then there's Ruby, who's growing up with a couple of cranky old cynics. When did holidays become just another damn chore? When did we start complaining about the commercialization of holidays and stop thinking about the meaning? I recently posted about how we're approaching religion with Ruby, given that we aren't religious. Holidays could a perfect opportunity to cover the most basic religious tenets with her. And yet, I don't think I mentioned the Baby Jesus more than once this whole Christmas season.

Liz has given Ruby the Valentine's Day bug with her talk of a wild and crazy Valentine's Day blowout at daycare. Ruby's been talking about it nonstop for three days.  At first I was all, yeah, yeah, Valentines Day, another excuse for buying blood diamonds and lining the pockets of florists and Hallmark, love can't be manufactured, blah, blah, blah. Well, things are what you make them, and I don't have to make Valentines Day another excuse for buying blood diamonds or lining the pockets of florists and Hallmark. I can make Valentines Day and every other holiday about giving Ruby the same kind of warm and happy childhood I had, where my mom enjoyed making holidays something we anticipated with giddy excitement, a day that stood out from the others and seemed to be a different color than the rest.

This morning, as I was taking out the recycling, I remembered that Liz asked me to find a cereal box for Ruby to bring to daycare to decorate for her valentines. And what you just read above is what went through my head as I rummaged through beer bottles and dog food cans. So on the fly, giddy with my sudden and newfound appreciation for holidays, I told Ruby that we should decorate a shirt for her to wear to the Valentines Day party. We went to Hobby Lobby and I bought pink, red and white fabric paint for the first time in my life, along with a cheap little felt and chipboard banner just to solidify the deal. Ruby spent the afternoon painting her trademark layers upon layers on a shirt and a pillow case, both of which are now stiff as a board. We talked about love and hearts, and then for Ruby, it somehow turned into a holiday about blood. Well, whatever. Once she's older and out of her gore phase, we can talk about the origins and the meanings of various holidays. (It'll be interesting to explain the crucifixion to her come Easter.) 

So, try something new. Huh. Screw parting my hair on the side. I'm trying something new that will make Ruby's life a spot happier and ours a spot less cynical. We're gonna start celebrating the holidays with all the trimmings! Valentines, corned beef and cabbage, Easter baskets, hilarious pranks, May baskets, fireworks, carved pumpkins, horns o' plenty, menorahs and all the Christmas bangles and baubles. The Valentine's shirt we made and the decorations we put up today will be my daily reminder to lighten the hell up about the holidays and have fun getting into the spirit with the kid.