Tart Day

Tomorrow is “International Tart Day”.  You should celebrate it. Yes, Christmas is a great holiday, but if you want something truly joyful, try Tart Day.  You might just discover your new favourite holiday.  It might be the best day never noticed.

Here’s the background.  “International Tart Day” is a fake holiday I invented.  It falls on December 26th every year.  I told the triplets everyone has the power to make up an official day of celebration.  My day was going to be Tart Day.  And I got to make sure it would be filled with decadent fun.

The day’s motto is, “It’s not because you want to, it’s because you have to!” Certainly this line refers to eating tarts.  You get to eat as many as you want…  And if someone has the gall to ask if you’ve had enough or infer you are eating too many, you can simply say, “It’s not because I want to, it’s because I have to!” At this point any person not indulging in Tart Day must simply walk away and mind their own business.

As the years went by the kids and I added more traditions into the day.  For some reason we decided to watch, “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” as we ate our tarts. Reciting the lines of the movie while putting another tart in your mouth just seemed so festive.  And who doesn’t like watching killer rabbits on an international day of celebration?

This year will be my first “International Tart Day” without the kids here to make it all worthwhile.  It will be heartbreaking, but I’m sure no harder for me than the countless other people facing a holiday without the people they love. I would like to think the kids will notice the day and even if they don’t eat a tart, they will reminisce of Tart Days in the past and the fun we had.

Whether you have butter tarts, lemon or pumpkin, large or even bite size, make sure you have your favourite tart this day.  Give a gift to yourself. You deserve the tart that will make you happy.  Try spreading the happiness by sharing tarts with your friends and neighbours to show you care.

“It’s not because you want to, it’s because you have to.”

 

Politically Correct

So many times in the media, and even with the people I talk to every day, the notion of being “politically correct” rears its head.  Where do we draw the line?

I wanted to share a very funny story about a card I made for a client.  I have been so busy these past few months and even these last few weeks have been a frenzy.  But in the midst of all that, I spent hours making a card for a client yesterday. And I have to admit the card was not “politically correct”.  It wasn’t malicious but taken out of context would not go over well in the public arena.

So here is the dilemma.

I wanted to write this blog about how I took a big chunk of my day and diligently worked on this project.  How I searched out pictures, added costumes to the figures, threw in a little religious connotation and voila, made a classic original piece that made me absolutely gleeful.  I haven’t laughed so hard in a long time.

The time and effort away from my more pressing “serious” work seemed acceptable.

My client’s reaction was priceless.  She thought it was hilarious.  But she has read an early version of my book where one story paints the picture and reason for the images on the card.

Again, telling you about the exact nature of the card would only make me look bad if you didn’t have the entire back story.

So why am I even sharing this?

Yesterday was fun… I needed to blow off steam and I know my client also needed the giggle.  I’m willing to bet even you would have laughed.

But in this world where the smallest hint on being insensitive can bring on a tsunami of anger I was hesitant to share any specifics.

Odd, my book is full of questionable subjects and I don’t give it a second thought…

Maybe I’m just nervous because people can comment on my blog.

 

 

Aaron Sorkin

Somehow Aaron Sorkin’s words are making a bigger impact on me now more than ever before. And mostly it’s the famous Leo Quote…. You know the one…

“This guy’s walking down the street when he falls in a hole.  The walls are so steep he can’t get out.  A doctor passes by and the guy yells up, “Hey, can you help me out?”  The doctor writes a prescription, throws it down the hole and moves on.  Then a priest comes along and the guy shouts out, “Father, I’m down in this hole, can you help me out?”  The priest writes out a prayer, throws it down in the hole and moves on.  Then a friend walks by.  “Hey Joe, it’s me, can you help me out?” and the friend jumps in the hole.  Our guy says, “Are you stupid, now we’re both down here.”  The friend says, “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”

I always thought I was the person walking down the street and would willingly jump into the hole to show a friend the way out.  These days I think I might be the person that has fallen into the hole and I’m desperately calling out for help.

The problem is that I’m still waiting for the right person to come along and shine some light on the situation.  The person to jump in and say “Yeah, but I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”  So far there have been some likely candidates but not a leap.  No one person to say “I got this”

Aaron Sorkin didn’t create the world where I live. Maybe there is no friend to jump in to save me.  Maybe I don’t work at the West Wing.  Maybe life is real.  Crap, I was so hoping we might all win Emmy’s for our performances.

It’s also funny that I wanted to play the part of Sam Seaborn. (but I digress)

But back to life and that dreaded hole.

Right now I do feel like I’m the one stuck in it… and dammit I know I will get out of here even if I have to figure it out myself.  (I might be starting to accept this isn’t a Sorkin universe) And even if it feels like there are people throwing rocks down on my head from above, don’t you worry, I know how to duck and cover.

I could just say to myself, “I’ve been down here before and I know the way out.”

 

Visions

Hanging in my front entry is a handmade poster.  Right there for everyone to see.  It’s hideously personal yet out on display.  A “vision board” I created during a course with the inspirational Kelly Benson.

It’s a montage of the dreams, hopes, aspirations and goals I hope to accomplish.  A tapestry of pictures from magazines, my own photos, and lots of words; all to represent a vision of what I want from my life.  Or maybe need from my life?  Well, whether it’s want or need, the story this poster holds is a commentary of the dreams I hold dear.

I pass it countless times each day and it always captures my attention.  I have contemplated each idea and wondered if any will come true.

I don’t know about the power of vision boards, I bet many people make them and then never take another look at what they’ve put together.  Having to face mine every day pushes me forward.

It might be like the advice Billy Connolly gives out.  Write down three things you want on a small piece of paper and keep it in your wallet.  Make sure you can see it.  He proclaims that if you do this you will reap the rewards and get what you want.  Again, it’s a reminder of your intent. The jury’s out on this idea but if you look in my wallet you’ll see my list.

I don’t believe in the soft talking, hocus-pocus positive aspiration agenda.  I do believe you must work hard and control your karma. For me these are simple reminders and props I’m not able to ignore. A constant nudge to never forget where I want to go. A map.

A tiny bit of me thinks it’s working… but only time will tell.