A Town Painted Green

As the snow begins its very first stages of the melting process in many parts of this country, we can all smell a hint of spring awaiting us right around the corner.  It's mid-March which not only is synonymous with the madness of college basketball but is also marked by perhaps one of the craziest holidays all year round: Saint Patrick's Day.

St. Patty's Day to me is always a curious study of people's love to celebrate.  I for one, don't have any Irish in me (or at least I don't think I do...), but that aside, every year I am quick to don a green outfit and join the masses in eating bangers and mash and swaying to Irish songs alongside all my friends at an "Irish Bar" no matter what city I'm living in.

New York, known for gloriously celebrating holidays, always had a fantastic Saint Patricks Day Parade.  Now the holiday usually falls during a week day so unfortunately, I was never able to go see the parade... there were other obligations, namely work, that prevented me from a mid-week rendezvous.  But fear not, someone a long time ago thought - why should a holiday mid-week prevent everyone from celebrating?! Easy solution: move the party to the weekend.  Every year the Saturday before or after, whichever was closer, would hold a city-wide Saint Patricks Day celebration.  In a city so cold this time of year, I think it is not only a day to celebrate Irish heritage but also to celebrate the coming of spring.

This year, even though I wasn't in NYC, the celebration this past weekend was still huge.  Actually, I think it's one of the biggest all year that takes place in Columbia, South Carolina.  Complete with green-dyed fountains, the town was transformed into a sea of green, and I mean that quite literally.  25,000 people came out to celebrate Saint Patricks Day.  The festival was complete with food vendors, beer trucks and three stages graced by a continuous string of bands filling the air with music.  Of course I was soaking up the nice weather with green beer in hand, yes green, and not holding back in my indulgence of Irish bangers, bbq sandwiches and the free nachos one stand was giving out... hey, it's an American celebration of Saint Pats and in the South no less.

Being new to town, we decided that it would be fun to "volunteer" during this festival, at least for part of it.  Our charitable duties including nothing more than standing in front of a Budweiser truck and pouring out a selection of beers for any thirsty festival-goer willing to shell out $3.  It was a site to see watching people pass by our truck.  Since we worked the morning shift which ended at 1PM we hardly saw the tip of the iceberg, so-to-speak, of people in attendance.  I did however, see a few families with babies in strollers who ever so cautiously would eye our truck, almost making it all the way by until one person (I saw it happen via Mom AND Dad) would hang a sharp left with the stroller, whip out some change and sheepishly say - well I guess I'll have one!  Amongst the crowd was lots of green hair dye, sparkling and even light-up mardi gras beads and yes, I even saw a 6 foot tall leprechan - complete with orange hair, top hat and cane.



Although it was quite the interesting crowd, I noticed that fortunately it was a nice and well behaved one with everyone genuinely happy to be celebrating a great day with food, music and lucky for us - sunshine.  I love that Saint Patricks Day is a day to celebrate such a strong and proud heritage.  I hope one day I get the chance to actually travel to Ireland, which I hear is beautiful and inhabited by very gracious and fun people.  For now, I'll just continue to find as much green clothing in my closet as I can and join the masses in food, drink and good times, every March to celebrate Saint Patricks.

The Little Things

I have a friend who came up with a fantastic idea.  Why not start writing down and sharing the "little things" that make you happy or that you come across and think - wow,  now that is really great. Now I'll try not to get too sappy or sentimental; however, those of you that know me well know that those two adjectives often define part of me.  Its a foggy day here in Columbia, and in sitting at my desk pondering what to write about, I decided to make a small list of the little things that make a difference to me.

Columbia

Driving - Understandably, Eric and I NEVER missed driving while living in NYC.  It does present a whole set of responsibilities and work that is easily eliminated when you're able to travel via foot.  However, since moving to a new town, Eric has really shown me a new side of driving.  We often take drives around town and through neighborhoods, always pleasantly surprised at the many beautiful places and scenery we simply didn't know were there. Weaving around town in a car is one of the best ways to site see - I guess now I know why those big red city tour buses do so well... There is often the humorous self-guided tour moment - like yesterday when I apparently found that naming a shopping center 'Boozer' was something to laugh about... no really, it was called 'Boozer'

Our purple chariot...

An email, note or phone call - In the age of new media, I will be one of the first to admit that I often use email as I would a phone call.  To catch up with friends, send a funny thought, or just to say "hi" and stay connected.  Since moving away from friends and to a new place where we know no one in town, I have come to cherish and truly appreciate emails, notes and phone calls from my friends and family.  The effort in staying connected, at times, in this fast-paced digital world seems difficult but always, and I mean always is completely rewarding.

Straws - I love straws.  I know its a wierd simple thing to love.  But I'm drinking out of one right now and I'm telling you, it makes my glass of water ten times more enjoyable.  Most people wouldn't agree, but hey, this is my little things list and I like straws. :-)

Mystery Books - As an English major, I had to read a lot of books, and I mean A LOT.  These days I prefer reading the entertaining stories, ones that are quick reads, light and not difficult to comprehend.  Turns out my grandmother enjoys the same.  I returned from a visit to her house with a huge shopping bag full of books.  What's better than curling up and enjoying a good read, especially one where there is mystery involved? And thanks to my grandmother, I will be able to indulge in my guilty pleasure for quite some time as I take on the rather large bag of hand me down books awaiting me.

Saturdays - Undoubtedly the best day of the week.  They're a bit different for me these days since our business operates on Saturday so what once was a guaranteed lazy morning now means waking at 6 and out the door to work.  Still, Saturdays are the best.  It's that day of the week where you know tomorrow is Sunday, you can hopefully feel great about a full week completed and can start to look ahead to the new week upon you. 

Smiling - Partially a tribute to my sappy side, smiling is like chicken soup for the soul.  It's amazing what effect a smile has when it's exchanged between strangers.  I've noticed this especially living in smaller towns versus a large city.  Passing by people on NYC streets doesn't often warrant a warm exchange.  And with millions of people passing by each other each day, it seems justified.  I've noticed however that when I do smile at a complete stranger on the street, most of the time, a smile is returned.  I think I'm going to try harder to not only smile at others but just to smile more in general.

Admittedly, this is by no means a comprehensive list.  Just the thoughts that came to me first.  In thinking about these little things, I suppose they aren't little at all.   More, one size fits all things.  In any event, these are things that make my day brighter and they are definitely fun to think about.  Happy holidays, and here's to the little things in life!