It is almost Christmas again.
I’m listening to “The Birds Are Singing Christmas”, a CD of Christmas and classical pieces arranged with chirps, trills, caws, hoots. Sweet, sweet, sweet!
My heart is filled with bitter honey because at this time for joy, and warmth, and lights in children’s eyes there are so many, too many beings on this Earth –human or not- who suffer, who are hungry, cold, afraid, desperate, lost. And while I’m in my warm home, with my family, ordering last minute things from Amazon, packing presents, trying to write on my new laptop, baking wonders, getting all Christmassy, I cannot and do not want to not think of these less fortunate beings. I ache for them.
Since childhood, I’ve had this daydream/fantasy. I wanted magic.
I wanted it for a very specific purpose: to help any being that needs help, to be able to give them one surprise moment of sparkling joy that would make their life more bearable.
I still dream about it when, let’s say, in the supermarket’s deserted parking lot, on a freezing, grey December afternoon, I see a flock of gloomy seagulls, sitting around. What if, I think, I could just snap my fingers and each one of them would have his own little fish for dinner? Would that make them happy? And, of course, it would have to be some sort of “replicated” fish (from Star Trek’s replicators) otherwise my heart would break for all those little fishies…
Or, what if I could just snap my fingers again and that squirrel and that sparrow shivering outside in February would suddenly be surrounded by their own little sphere of warmth? Wouldn’t that be nice?
And of course that homeless woman and her dog, lying on the street, in front of that big, nice, bright store. They could do with a little warmth and a little food, couldn’t they?
Childish, of course. Indeed, because some people are doing more than just dreaming about it. I’m trying, too. But in the mean time, it is also a nice Christmas wish. Maybe Santa will grant it one day.
If I have a soul then so does every creature, big or small, and bless them all.
Merry Christmas to everybody! Be good! I love you!
