A Cozy Christmas Owl

Somehow being at Morning Owl café always inspires me to write. It’s just the perfect spot to have a tea and work or read, and it’s spacious, quiet, with the ideal level of music. I walked in, latest copies of the Community Voice in hand to drop off, and ran into a good friend from the Sai Centre, who was meeting a friend and sipping her latte in a mug that said, “Have a nice day.” She showed me a picture of her Christmas tree at home, that has a Ganesh atop in place of the angel. Too cute!

There is a guy with orange wavy long hair and a funky sweater that is smiling at me. You know that feeling when you find yourself staring into space, and you accidentally stare at someone, and they think that you’re looking at you? He’s reading his book at the bar, and seems very engrossed by the words on the page.

I’m working on the next revision of my creative writing final project, and it’s definitely been tough writing about my life, although at the same time enjoyable and enlightening to revisit meaningful events, as if writing about scenes in a movie. It’s called “Our Reflections are not in the Mirror”, a line from my poem I Believe, and contains essays about different people in my life. I’m aiming to send it back to Ranjini (my mentor) by Sunday. Wish me luck!

I’m liking our current book club read, Everybody’s Son by Thrity Umrigar. It’s so well-written and engrossing, and reminds me of a parallel storyline that I’m watching in This is Us, where Deja goes from foster home to foster home and then basically scores the foster home jackpot, although to her it doesn’t feel it – it just feels as though she’s been cruelly wrenched from her mother. In Everybody’s Son, a young black boy from the projects is adopted by a wealthy white couple, who try and do what’s best for him but end up sinking to a moral low in their quest to keep him. If you decide to read this book, don’t read the back because it basically gives the whole book away!

I’m hosting book club in January and can’t wait to discuss! I emailed Thrity, the author, to see if she wouldn’t mind making a 15-minute Facetime chat with us, and she kindly emailed back, saying that she was honoured that we chose her book but that she would be out of the country at that time.

Christmas is fast approaching, and I haven’t bought many gifts, although I don’t have that many to buy. Makes it simple I guess, but I think the best part of Christmas are the presents!! And hot chocolate. And mistle toe. ;-) And of course the Christmas parties.

And then there’s the world and its all craziness. Why would Trump mock a sixteen year-old climate activist who won Time’s Person of the Year? (ok actually on second thought, I totally know why – he’s jealous!) I love Greta Thunberg. She promptly changed her twitter profile to say:

A teenager working on her anger management problem. Currently chilling and watching a good old fashioned movie with a friend.

Scheer resigned yesterday, unable to vow the public despite Trudeau’s underwhelming performance. My mom and I watched the news last night, waiting for coverage of Boris Johnson’s victory, but the news of Scheer and the CBC commentators take on it never seemed to end. Johnson won by a landslide (66%), a result not seen for British conservatives since Thatcher’s time in the 80’s.

And then there is life in general, and all its beauty and change. Where friends come and go, new life comes into the world, and some leave the world and pass onto another realm. I lost a good friend this week. I will cherish her always, and all the joy she brought to those around her. Her spirit, her ability to listen attentively and want the best for you, her zest for life, and how she could talk for hours about any subject, be it gardening, politics, friends, family, or conspiracy theories (and how everyone is out to get you and the world is going to hell in a hand basket :). She was in her eighties and lived a long and fulfilling life. I love that I got to be in her presence and bask in her wisdom for as long as I did. Heaven gained an angel this Christmas.