The Best Present

Merry Christmas and happy New Year!

Mona and I enjoyed the usual gift giving and ambitious eating of sweets. I say ambitious because my glutonous binge typically ends with overly adverse effects compared to the all-too-short enjoyment. The chocolate high takes a bow amidst a finale of mild shakes and late night rambling. Too many sweets always give me the gitters.

This week Mona caught a bug. She's been down for two days with a runny nose and an intermitent fever. Today she's much better. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this "mothering" thing. It doesn't take much work, just a little sacrifice of self. And that's not too much to give to someone who's constantly doing the same for me, even when I'm not ill.

But the real joy of Christmas came unexpectedly this year. We drove to Semarang, the large city to our north, for an evening with friends. While there we discovered that one of our friends is a "Stargate: SG1" fan. (It's a stateside TV drama.) And while she was on leave in the states last year, she purchased all eight seasons on DVD. We flipped out when we saw them. She let us borrow the most recent season, and for the next two days we endulged in a binge for the eyes. Thankfully this one doesn't leave me shaking, but the insatiable cravings for more are all too familiar. Season nine is showing stateside right now, but we'll have to wait another six months for that fix.

Now that the presents are all opened, the decorations put away, and the chocolate eaten, the best thing to do is to just sit back a take a nice, deep breath, and help my darling wife get back to full health while we play cards or Backgammon. Sometimes the best present afterall is something you already have.