Six Degrees of Freedom

According to shipbuilders and mariners, there are six different motions a floating vessels can make.

Rolling – the oscillating movement of a vessel from side to side

Pitching – the rise and fall of a ship on calm to moderate seas.

Yawing –The back and forth movement of ship caused by a high seas in a confused state.

Heaving – The rise and fall of a vessel in high seas.

Swaying – The side to side swing of a ship in moderate seas.

Surging – The propelling of a vessel in a sudden forward movement when powerful waves hit the vessels stern.

It’s the nautical name for these six movements that intrigue me: 

Six Degrees of Freedom 

Reminding me that:

 no matter how rough be the sea we navigate,

no matter how difficult it may be to keep our bearings

 as life rolls, pitches and yaws, our footing heaving, swaying and surging beneath us,

All we need do to keep our freedom

Is to

Not sink.

Christmas Blues

Maybe it’s the expectation that gets me.  All year I do my best to fake normal when I’m just not feeling it. Oh, stop it.  I don’t mean all the time. But, you know, there are those occasions, those moments, when I know damn good and well I am supposed to be feeling happy or sad or generous and instead I just want to shake the holy shit out of somebody.

But, at Christmas time, it seems that every television commercial, every bell ringing Santa is demanding a degree of involvement with the human race that, much of the time, I am just not capable of giving.  It’s not about the gifts, I give very few of those and, long ago, stopped giving to those who suffer from chronic ungratefulness. It’s not about the birth of Christ.  I love the story of The King bringing long-awaited hope into the dirtiest, most common corner of the world and of us. 

So, what is it about this season that pulls me into a downward spiral?

No, seriously, I’m asking you.

 Does anyone else find this time of year a drain?  Do you walk out the door humming Emmanuel and come home cussing crowds and old people with those stupid coin purses that look like plastic mouths? Anyone else walk into church to kneel at the feet of the baby Jesus and leave knowing damn well your spouse is going to hate, I mean hate, that gift you were so sure when you paid too much for it they’d love? Do you travel hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles to be with family and, approximately four and a half minutes after you arrive, begin counting the hours until you leave?

This year, I give up.  No tree. No decorations. Maybe the season will surprise me and bring a teensy bit of that overpublicized joy.

If not, well. January is just around the corner.