reason for the season

Once...

There was a 7th grade me pretty close to getting beat up by a bully, I was tiny and wore glasses, bullies could smell the fear on me. I defended myself by saying "but it's Christmas time?!?", regardless of the fact that it was March. It got the kids watching laughing, it disarmed the asskicker and prevented an asskicking, kinda like "you wouldn't hit a girl with glasses?". I'm a lover, not a fighter, but a talker first and foremost. This post isn't about me avoiding asskickings, its about Christmas cheer!

Winter is a time for people to migrate or hibernate, I'm sure over the course of human existence the times when people set aside their differences were times when you needed a warm cave to sleep in. I'm sure the first Christmas was some cavemen sharing some nuts and iguana meat and a warm slab to rest on or a dip in the hot springs, just a friendly gathering at Uggs cave. Simply, we celebrate this time of year because it's cold outside and we do well in packs.

Winter is a brutal season even here in sunny California, and a majority of folks around here see homeless people as subhuman, and the laws prove that. Some bad examples exist and help mold the public opinion, but not every homeless person is fucked up on drugs, just the ones that make themselves noticed. But compassion is out there and i've seen much kindness first hand. I've heard stories of families offering fresh blankets and garages and spare rooms to people who would otherwise freeze to death or end up in jail due to sit/lie laws. I've seen punkrock teenagers making big pots of miso and warm wheat bread, I've seen people share their lunch, their money, their time with people in need, it's beautiful. I've seen some sad, sad things in my travel, spoke with the lost and the dead and dying and learned there's hope among the despair. Many people do choose to be homeless, but you can see it in someones eyes if they are really in need.

I am comfy and warm in a good friends apartment that I'm subletting, a roof over my head and *warmth* are two things I will never take for granted. Enjoy your winter and treasure all you have. More words soon, thanks for reading :)