Saturday Dec. 22 I awoke during the wee morning hours unable
to get back to sleep. All too soon the holidays would be over; the merriment
and that festive feeling in the air would just be a wonderful memory.
I am not especially looking forward to 2019. It promises to
be another busy and expensive year filled with even more stress. And as usual,
a week to the day after New Year's I have a birthday; another year older and a
step closer to death. At my age, I wonder how long my health is going to hold.
Should I be stricken with cancer, a heart attack, or stroke, (my father was hit
with all three) I'd better plan on dying! I lack the funds to deal with any of
those.
Due to anxiety I knew that I'd never get back to sleep. So
at 4:00 AM I did what I always do when I can't sleep, I got up and watched TV. The
early AM air was particularly cold by Florida standards, but I bundled up until
comfortable.
There are plenty of choices in my DVR library. But one was a
favorite, The Great American Baking Show Holiday Edition! I plugged in my
Christmas tree by TV to get in the proper mood. Oh what a show! It makes me drool;
a glorious food fantasy! I imagine tasting every one of those desserts. The
only place I have ever seen such a delicious selection of pastries was a shop
in Austria back in 1978 and sadly I was only there once. With all the
commercials zapped out the show was roughly ninety minutes long.
Toward the end, I started to feel sleepy. After a winner was
crowned I turned off the TV and leaned back, my head against my recliner. Almost
instantly I fell asleep.
In the hazy glow of my Christmas tree I awoke shortly after
6:00 AM. Outside the pitch darkness lingered. The tree became brighter with
more detail emerging as my eyes cleared.
I felt an exalted sense of happiness. I wouldn't mind if I
died at that moment should this be my last memory. If there is a heaven on
earth that fleeting minute was it.
No comments:
Post a Comment