You know what? I love Christmas. And I sort of live for Christmas. I'm a generally happy person. I love my life. And I can appreciate my life in the moment that I'm in. BUT. I maybe sort of live for Christmas. It's like I have a clock in my head eternally ticking on a Christmas countdown. I'm okay with that. Christmas is a good thing! I can appreciate Easter, and the Fourth of July, and Halloween, and Thanksgiving. But I love Christmas!
Sometimes as I get closer to Christmas, I get to thinking about it. I think about how it's almost Christmas, and then I wonder what it will feel like to actually BE IN Christmas! It gets SO much build up, and I look forward to it for SO long, and I wonder, "Wow - what's it going to be like being in the actual moment of Christmas! What's it going to feel like when I wake up early? What's it going to be like to see the tree all lit and hear the Christmas music playing and smell that evergreen candle we have going every year?" And then, when it finally actually IS Christmas, I try to take a second to think about it - to be aware of the magic that is that moment, and to take some time to really appreciate Christmas day. I want to be able to remember every second and every feeling perfectly, for some day in the future that isn't Christmas.
As I've been on my mission, I've been counting down to Christmas. Christmas being the moment I get to be with my family again and live a normal human life. I've had my little clock in my head, keeping me informed of the days and weeks and months until Christmas. Not that I haven't been enjoying my life where I'm at now. Not that I haven't been loving my mission for everything it is. But I'm just aware of the time. I do that.
So the other day, I was thinking about Christmas. And how much I love it. And how beautiful it's going to be when I'm home again. I was thinking, "Wow. What's that moment going to be like, sitting on the plane? And then - coming down that escalator in the SLC airport, and seeing my beautiful BEAUTIFUL family down there - what's that going to BE like?!" And then, this thought just exploded in my brain. "This Is Christmas Right Now."
I AM LIVING IN CHRISTMAS RIGHT NOW. A whole entire year and a half of it! Granted, it didn't get as much build up as a normal Christmas day (we all know I wasn't planning on being a missionary EVER in any life ever), but it's Christmas none the less! It might not always FEEL like Christmas, BUT this is Christmas! And I only get this year and a half of it! Someday in the distant future, I'm going to be at my house, and I'm going to look back and think, "Wow. I was a missionary. I was in Poland. What exactly did that feel like? I wish I could feel that again." And glory be, I'm in that moment right now! I'm in Poland. POLAND, folks. I'm a missionary. This is Christmas. And I'm never going to get another one! I want to memorize every single feeling (even the bad ones), because someday I'm going to want to be here again, and I'm not going to be able to do that. Time travel DOES NOT EXIST (I tell you, if I had a zlot for every time I've mentioned time travel in an email ...).
Alright. Elephant in the room. We all know it's there. My Christmas is winding down. It's not over yet - but it's getting close. And I'm scared I'm not going to have enough memorized from this time of my life. Hence. It's time to really appreciate this moment for what it is. It's time to love this Christmas for what it is and what it isn't, and make EVERY SINGLE DAY the best it can possibly be. This is all I've got! I've got a whole life of normal human living ahead of me, but only a few more months of Christmas. I have a whole life of normal human living ahead of me during which I can think about all the magic that was this year and a half, but only a few more months to actually make the memories I'm going to be thinking about. STRESS. Stress is happening.
But also excitement! Because Christmas is a VERY exciting thing. I love it.
The End.
And now. Funny Stories. Buckle up, kids!
Funny Story 1.
Hubert The Confused.
We were walking down the street, and this man called to us, in a English with a British accent, "Sister! It's me! It's me!" Ummm ... what? We've NEVER seen this man before. But he was calling us, so I stopped. And then I started praying that Sister Tobes was going to stop too, because I did NOT want to talk to this crazy alone! (And thankfully she did.) So he was like, "It's me! It's Hubert!" And we were like, "Uh huh..." And he was like, "Hi, Sister Young (cue him trying to read my name tag), and Sister ... (cue him, trying to read Sister Tobler's name tag) - hey, where's your name tag? Mine's in my backpack. I'm an elder!" What? He was SO WEIRD. And then he went off for a while on how you, "can't lose your book, or you're out of the club forever". Whatever THAT means! And then he said, "Hey. Whatever you do after your two years - be it business or marriage or kids - DON'T LOSE THE BOOK. Keep it close to your heart and under your bed." So then we decided to get out of there, and as we were walking away, he was like, "Go get 'em, tigers! JW's rock!" ... Huh?
Funny Story 2.
Mr. Frog Man.
I gave this guy a Mormon.org card, and he was like, "Oh, what's this?" So I was like, "It's about our church. Have you heard of it before?" Yeah. Heard about the church. Impressed by my Polish. Blah blah blah. And then he's like, "What do you think about sex before marriage?" And, naturally, I was like, "Um, I beg your pardon?" And then, naturally, he repeated his question. I wanted to tell him we don't do that in our church. Because we don't. But instead, I told him, "We will NOT do that." Face palm. What? Did I really just say that? Oh gee. Polish is hard, okay? Awkwardness ensued. He asked me why not, and I told him that it builds trust in a marriage to wait, and then he said it's okay to make a few mistakes before marriage, and then I shut him down pretty hardcore and sent him on his way. It was NOT my most spectacular moment, Polish wise.
Funny Story 3.
We were trying to find a member's house. We thought we were at the right the building. We tried the door. A man walked up behind us, and asked us what we were doing. At this exact moment, the member's child calls after us from two buildings down. Oops! So Sister Tobes was like, "Oh, sorry!" And then we just ran away. We literally ran away from that train wreck. The poor man thought we were breaking into his house! We are TERRIBLE missionaries. But it was hilaroius!
We were trying to find a member's house. We thought we were at the right the building. We tried the door. A man walked up behind us, and asked us what we were doing. At this exact moment, the member's child calls after us from two buildings down. Oops! So Sister Tobes was like, "Oh, sorry!" And then we just ran away. We literally ran away from that train wreck. The poor man thought we were breaking into his house! We are TERRIBLE missionaries. But it was hilaroius!
THE END FOR REALS.
I love you all, and I wish you everything the best! You're beautiful people!
Siostra Young
Siostra Young
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