The Reason I Listen to Christmas Music All the Time

      If you're anything like me, you've been listening to Christmas music all year-round. Only now, it's practically a 24/7 deal. And time after Halloween is fair game, and almost too late to start in the Holiday Cheerfulness that is the Holiday season (brought to you by Christmas music). If you are the few (but the mighty) who are like me, you've also heard a LOT of backlash against your particular song selection. Something about "it's not even Thanksgiving yet," or "give each holiday their due spirit." And, yeah, that's valid, but also there is a reason I listen to Christmas music so early. In fact, many reasons. 22 years worth of reasons.

      First, blatantly, how many Thanksgiving songs do you know? I love Thanksgiving just as much as I love the Christmas and New Years (and Christmas). But, frankly, to me, the feeling is still the same. That warm, fuzzy feeling you get when you get to dedicate the last 2 months of this year and the first week of next with your family. Totally emerged in loving each other wholly and being there for each other. No matter if it is your blood relatives, or your Framily. You get to seek out the people you love (or people who are without loved ones) and relish in the time spent with those around you. So, to me, Thanksgiving and Christmas have very similar shades of awesomeness.

      Second, Christmas music is catchy AF. We listen to Taylor Swift all year long! Her songs are catchy enough. Can't I spend some quality time with some classically catchy tunes with some sleigh bells in the background? I mean, honestly, who doesn't feel their heart skip a beat a little when listening to their favorite Christmas song?

      Also, a lot of these people who are all like "we've commercialized Christmas," not saying I disagree, but wouldn't denying Christmas music until its due time be buying into that? Maybe it's just me, but what sort of twisted society do we live in in which there is a certain genre of music ONLY to be listened to ONE MONTH out the the 12 month year!? I mean, who comes up with these rules! HashtagStickItToTheMan

      Thirdly, genetics, man. My mom LOVES Christmas. She paints and sells her artwork, and in her style of painting, Christmas is her prime time. So, she has to be cranking out Christmas stuff all year long (as well as regular, not-Holiday stuff). In order for that to happen, she sets the mood with some classic Bing Crosby Christmas and some cinnamon candles. All. Year. Long.

      Third-and-a-half-ly, my grandmother loved Christmas too. My grandmother was someone who had a hard time keeping her opinion to herself. And, in that, she tend to say things that weren't the kindest of things. However, she was also one of the strongest women I have ever known (aside form my mom, duh). And if one thing was for certain, it was that once Halloween was over, it was Christmas season. She was the custodian at my elementary school, and she DECKED the halls like no one has ever decked any halls ever. She put so much love and passion behind Christmas for the kids (and to fulfill her love), that she never minded the teachers' glares while forcing them to listen to Holiday music over the intercom system. Mainly because she would just glare even harder and dare any one of them to cross her.

      In my resident hall, there is this "Would you Rather" board. On one end, it says "be a kid for a day," or "be the opposite gender for a day?" So many people picked the "kid" one. But, my question is: if you want so badly to have times be as simple as they were when you were a kid, why deny yourself the freedom to embrace the simple things in life. As much as my grandmother faced scorns for listening to Christmas music so early from the faculty, never once did a child in that school complain for the heavily decked-out hallways, or sparkling lights that flooded Sugar Creek Elementary.

      Now, am I say "GO LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC NOW OR YOU'RE A GRINCH!" Of course not. But maybe settle down your hatred for your fellow man who loves the warm fuzzy feeling the Holiday music brings. I get it, you're annoyed. But, like, maybe chill a little. Christmas comes but once a year, let us relish in it as long as we can.

Also, Starbucks Red Cups, you do you. I like 'em a lot! Woo!

HashtagHolidayCheerMiester

Mary Taylor

A Lull

      I'm feeling a lull. When I shouldn't feel a lull.

      A lull in life. Like I'm just kind of wondering through, without much of anything. No presence, no feeling, no nothin'. 

      Normally when this happens, I'm in a complex. A beautiful complex that should totally be embraced. a complex of too busy, and in denial of my busy-ness, resulting in me procrastinating on everything. Which means watching too many YouTube videos. 

      When I get in a lull, it takes me a minute to do something about it. 

      When I FINALLY get off my butt and do something about it, I re-envision how I'm living my life. Am I meditating? Am I praying? Am I working out? How? Am I eating well. Generally, once it's gotten to "lull" level, all answers are no. And, it just so happens, they're a "no" now, too. 

      So, on this Hump Day, I am re-evaluating my life. Seeking out the beauty in life, seeking out God in my life, and meditating on how absolutely blessed I am. 

      Having a bad day or week is normal and totally fine. Sometimes that prolongs into a funk, which is also a ride that needs to be lived through. But sometimes it's simply a lull and my forgetting to simply love my surrounding wholly. 

      Here's to those lulls. And here's to bye bye to those lulls.  

Get it? Like lullabies.

      Woo,

      Mary Taylor

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Caitlyn Jenner and God's Plan

      As a Liberal, politically speaking, I am in LOVE with Caitlyn Jenner. And Lovern Cox (obviously), and anyone who has discovered something totally new about themselves and take the initiative to really be who they are. Totally.

      Others don't see it like that.

      "God made you one way, and that's how He wants you to live!"

      And, I hate hate hate to admit it. But, my religious side couldn't argue with that. So, what? I'm just supposed to be living this double life where I totally agree with it, but when religion comes into the picture I go "well, I guess you're right. Let me hate with you and stuff with you."

      I was conflicted. For, social-politically speaking, once in my life. Gay rights and equality: I had the perfect religious answer. Women's rights: got my Jesus on my side! Racial Tensions: I'm all over it. But Transgender. How do I say "no, God totally wanted to change them. He made the mistake in making them that way, so He says 'oops, sorry. You change it. I'm busy." What kind of God is that?

      There are a lot of pessimists out there. You know who I'm talking about. The type of people in which everything is falling apart all the time. Like Sadness in Inside Out (if you're scratching your head wondering who I'm talking about, stop reading right now and go see that film!). You just want to take their shoulders and yell "GO FIND SOME HAPPINESS!!!!! Life is FREAKING AWESOME!" When lived fully and authentically, life is amazing. There are amazing mountains, and some treacherous, horrid valleys, but the journey is amazing. When you're wholly yourself.

      I have little cousins. Freshman in high school and 8th grader. In other words: teenagers. Girl Teenagers. The kind that can change by a drop of a hat. The kind that can fluctuate just about as much as my diet. It all depends on who's around. I mean, yes we all act a little differently around different company. But I'm talking one day, they're all cardigans and flats, and the next it's all black, safety pins everywhere, hair color change, head-to-toe different. All depending on who it is that they hang out with. When one wants to dance and have fun, the others say "that's not cool," and stifles the ones who want to go out and have FUN. I see it all the time with the cousins. She feels stifled and pressured not to go out and have fun because it would be making a fool of herself and how can she possibly face Lance, the cute football player at school, if he found out she DANCED? At a dance! Oh, the horror of it all. It's simply too much.

      But eventually you start to understand that you can be you and the people that don't embrace that will filter out and others who LOVE it will drop into your life. But it's about letting that happen. Or, in some cases, making that happen.

      Filling your life with what brings you love and joy. But it is impossible to do that while you have to stifle who you are in order to stick to the status quo (insert the High School Musical rock ballad).

     Then it hit me.

      Does God really want us to suffer through stifling ourselves just to keep up appearances? Did God create Bruce and, once he started feeling weird like "I don't think this is right," God just went "it is right because I'm right and that is EXACTLY how I want you to stay forever!" I don't think so.

      Does God look at me and say "oh, no, no need to expand your mind. You're right where you need to be for the rest of your life because I created you and I am right and that is EXACTLY how I want you to stay forever!"If He did, I never listened. I am still constantly learning and discovering. Discovering life and ways to live my full life and ways to do it with God. Finding my true me and living through it.

      So, how is that different?

      God is perfect and makes no mistakes. None. Like, at all.     Ever.

We do. He doesn't.

      So, picture this: God creating that chapter in Bruce's journey. God actually guiding Bruce through his 60-something years to that huge chapter in his life to create Caitlyn.

      I have a feeling that those who have transitioned or are transitioning are right with God. Not only because God is all-loving and all-forgiving, but because they actually aren't doing anything wrong. They are simply taking the step in their lives that is necessary to live their full lives. Fully and freely living their lives. And in that, better understanding. Better loving. Better living.

      Caitlyn Jenner might not fit into what everyone considers to be right. But your right and God's right are different. And seeing how positive this transition is, motivationally, I can't imagine this much greatness is without God and His Love. Which is the most powerful thing. Ever. Ever ever. Ever.

Love always,
Mary Taylor