Seasonal rant

When I was young, there were only two seasons in California. Dry and warm, or rainy and chilly. That was it. Sports were divided into seasons as well. Of course, back then, there were only three sports that every boy played. In fall, football. In winter, basketball. And in spring/summer, baseball. Yes, there was the occasional wrestler, at least in high school and college. Girls had field hockey in the fall and softball in spring. For them, the outliers were the gymnasts.

Now, every sport bleeds over into the next. It's November, and we're in the middle of the World Series, football is in full swing, and I just saw an ad for basketball. Soccer, which was way too European to be played when I was a kid, is year round.

Now, why should I care? I don't play any of them, and I'm really not much of a fan, either. Well, it's the fact that that muddled way of thinking is bleeding over into everything else. We just finished Halloween, which used to be one of my favorites. So, I walked into the grocery store today, 1st of November, and the clerks were wearing Christmas hats already. Not something for Veteran's Day. Not for Thanksgiving. Just Christmas. The calendar, from October to January has all been compressed together. Yes, I know that Christmas is the big moneymaker for them all. But, I am old enough that I want to take my time and savor each holiday separately. I don’t want to rush anymore.

I know that it’s not going to happen. Advertisers just won’t allow it. But at my house, the Christmas decorations aren’t going up until after Thanksgiving. Think about it. Don’t rush through your life without savoring each day, each holiday. Remember when you were a child, and kept talking about how great things were going to be when you grew up? Now, you look back and wish you were young. Seize the current day, don’t try to live in dreams for the future!