It is indeed a lovely Christmas Day! There was a lovely little nip in the air as people start meandering from their Christmas mornings into the cafes for prosecco and finger foods, in which I readily embraced. We walked down to the bazaar that would open later tonight (above), and then puttered home for more wonderful finger foods (salami, olives, cheese, marzipan, etc.) and the amazing cake you see below.
The sky was absolutely beautiful with a bright moon late in the afternoon at the Vatican. My parents loved the Vatican, which was very busy with people coming and photographing the Nativity and watching the various services. Our challenge was to keep Elle off the pillars and out of the gratings...everywhere except where deemed suitable.
The final walk home involved the pizzeria with the behemoth beer that Eric so readily embraced. He seemed to forgive the lager long enough to enjoy something slightly less than a pitcher :)
As we close on our Christmas Day and move forward into the New Year; I muse about what the holidays represent, and what they mean to me. I recognise how fortunate we are, as a family, to get the freedom of choice for career and living. The bottom line for us is the reality of options. While I could date back to certain decisions that provided the current positive outcome in our lives, there is a certain amount of good fortune as well, and I consider the hypothetical results of falling into one of the many suffering groups within the "system". A classic example would be the widows who lost their homes in the housing crash because their husbands had the temerity to die and the banks refused payment because it was the dead husband who had the loan, causing foreclosure. What would happen with our systems if we took people as individuals and worked with them based on their circumstance instead of falling back onto rules of the system, whichever or whatever system of point. What would happen if we respected people as individuals, and not lumped them in XYZ group with passed judgement?
Also I think people have a personal accountability to be aware of others' needs. What would happen if everybody, even the poor, took a responsibility in ratio of ability to help those in more need? I'm not suggesting that we put personal enjoyment and go into sacrificial mode like Mother Theresa, but maintain awareness of others, and help when the opportunity is obvious. While I've sworn off New Years Resolution since they never work for me, I do have a certain resolve to be more aware of the needs for others, as well as work on what systemic influence I can have in my dissertation as a starting point. Quitting my job effective January 31 is the tipping point, in my opinion, for what I can do in my career as a scholar practitioner, with more time dedicated to applied research, writing, conferences, and active studies. It will be an incredibly different year this time, with growing excitement and openness of my responsibility and respect to others as individuals.
