It’s the Winter Solstice but it doesn’t feel like it. The sun is shining and the sky is blue. At about 30 degrees, it’s cool enough for a coat but I left my gloves behind when I fed the birds and took trash.

It’s the shortest day of the year but it barely feels like winter.

Don’t mind me. I’m in a snit because I planned to hike today but am stuck inside after an emergency tooth extraction this week. After years and thousands of dollars trying to salvage this molar, it developed some issues last week and before you could say the tooth fairy doesn’t care about adult teeth, I was being prepped for extraction.

So, today I’m home tidying the house, working on a puzzle and making some Christmas goodies. It all works out and it has been a nice day but I would much rather be on the trail right now. We were even going to a bookstore after!

A dear friend gave me the above pictured Christmas ornament yesterday. She’s had a rough couple of years due to illness but she has endured and recovered with such grace that I feel guilty complaining about my own problems.

This gift of hope she gave me will hang on my travel tree as a reminder that some journeys are through uncharted, challenging waters and sometimes through time rather than space.

I‘m proud of her bravery and am so fortunate to receive from her this gift of hope.

So I’m going to stop complaining, turn up the Christmas tunes and make some yummy goodies. Remember there’s always hope for brighter days.