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NatureJunkie's Blog – December 2008 Archive (4)

Be of Good Cheer.

The fourth in a trilogy. (Yes, I get the irony.)

In one of the hardest periods of my life, I was jobless, flat broke, and unable to make my rent. I have a good friend in my life, Carolyn, who has always been like a surrogate mother to me. Over the 35 years that I have known her, she routinely reiterates the offer to help me if I am ever in trouble. When I told her then what kind of trouble I was in, I received a check from her two days later. It was a thousand dollars,… Continue

Added by NatureJunkie on December 25, 2008 at 4:00pm — 2 Comments

A Christmas Care Package

In response to my last two blogs, I was inspired to rethink my angst about gift giving by the comments of 30andOut, Tahllulah, and ScribblersSanctuary, who relish the opportunity to give at Christmas unencumbered by the anxieties I feel. Ken even sees his gifts as extensions of himself. I like that “gift as extension of self” philosophy. I’m going to try that philosophy on next year and see if it fits me.

About ten years ago, I let a financial advice guru… Continue

Added by NatureJunkie on December 24, 2008 at 11:58am — 1 Comment

The Rejection of the Gift Horse

Until I was five, people could be divided into two categories: grownups and children. But at five, I became aware that there were actually three groups: There were grownups, and then there were little kids and big kids. I was a little kid. Chris W. who lived down the street was eleven—a big kid. Chris was the only big kid in my neighborhood who paid attention to me. In return, I adored him.

In the autumn before I turned six, Chris had his garage fully occupied with two construction… Continue

Added by NatureJunkie on December 19, 2008 at 3:54pm — 1 Comment

The Best Gift EVER!

The best gift I ever received was a talking toy chimpanzee called Chester O'Chimp. He was manufactured by Mattel in 1964, but I felt certain that Santa's elves would have no trouble making an excellent knock-off. Chester was about the size of a baby chimp, and when you pulled a string on his back, his rubber lips moved while he said any one of a dozen wise cracks. Santa really came through for me that year, big time. I loved Chester for a solid two or three years. I have not… Continue

Added by NatureJunkie on December 17, 2008 at 12:20am — 1 Comment