Parchment Paths

As a Disney fan, I was moved to tears to read that Walt Disney’s lamp was still being lit in Disneyland.  During Walt’s life, he had an apartment on Main Street in Disneyland in California. Whenever he was there, he’d turn on a lamp in a street facing window to let people know he was there. After his death, cast members continued to light the lamp as a reminder that his spirit would always be in Disneyland.   Some even claim that his spirit literary  resides in the lamp. The park is closed now due to the Corona Virus, but maintenance and security continue to maintain the grounds. They also keep Walt’s light lit.   The light reminds visitors and furloughed workers that someday they will be welcomed back. It reminds the remaining staff that they while conditions seem bleak now, the light will always be there. Their co-workers will come back, visitors will come back, and happiness will come back. Things seem dark right now all around us, jobs have been lost...

We are not superheros. We do not wear capes, or even scrubs. We run registers and stock shelves. We keep you fed, clothed, entertained, and well.  Please, respect that. We only want to work and pay the bills. We do not want to die because you want to shop. Your "get out of the house" shopping trip is our hazardous situation.  

I finally got around to seeing Frozen 2, and I loved it, which isn’t a surprise. It takes a lot for me to dislike a movie, much less hate it.   I’m a much harsher book critic for some reason.                 While I love the first movie, I think I loved the sequel even more. It has some of the best world building I’ve ever seen in a Disney movie. In fact the character development, plot development, and world building were amazing for any movie.                The thought that struck me throughout the movie was that it felt like a fantasy story. Yes, Disney movies always have a fantasy element, talking animals, fairy godmothers, witches, magic, and so on. Animated Disney movies have become their own genre so much that sometimes I think of them as Disney and not fantasy.   I love them but when I’m thinking of my f...

  During my usual scrolling through Pinterest I noticed a great deal of pins concerning the Danish concept of hygge.   The word was often accompanying pictures of cozy blankets draped over a chair with cups of coffee and books artistically arranged by a window overlooking a snowy scene. I had a vague idea about hygge having encountered the word while adding to and browsing my  winter themed board, but I dug a bit deeper to remind myself what it actauly meant.   As far as I can tell, there’s not a definite translation but more of a feeling or a concept, a concept of coziness during the winter months.   In Denmark people commonly enjoy hot drinks and foods while visiting friends, basically enjoying winter rather than tolerating it. After refreshing my memory on hygge and learning how to pronounce it ( hyu-gah) I was intrigued and encouraged by the whole concept.   I decided that it seemed like a great way to not just survive winter but to enj...

This Christmastime was wonderful and yet strange. It all seemed to happen within the last week  leading up to Christmas Eve.   Last Christmas I had more time to celebrate throughout December, going to my niece and nephew’s play, a church dinner, going Christmasy places with friends, and shopping.   This year, I had a cold the first week, worked a great deal, and found myself missing my mom very much around Thanksgiving.   I still enjoyed Christmas music, and movies but felt as though I was only working and resting. Thankfully, the cold went away and I was able to get out Christmas shopping with my dad. I had already ordered gifts online and bought some earlier, but it was nice spending time with him and helping him pick out gifts. Work was, as usual in retail during the holidays, stressful and exhausting.   At home, I wrapped presents and watched Christmas movies, and was finally starting to enjoy what I call real Christmas, which is when I’m not at ...