the Thieving Magpie is 4 Years Old! And although it has always been a bit of a dirty bird, a bandit, a rascal and a scoundrel, that doesn’t mean it is immune from the Holiday Blues.

It’s easy to feel simultaneously up, down, rushed, dragged and out of control during the holidays. Things move so fast. One minute it’s Halloween, tree leaves are aflame, your favorite baseball team has been unceremoniously knocked out of contention and you’re secretly picking sticky bits of caramel and peanut from your teeth before your kids finger you as the culprit who has been sneaking their Halloween stash, and the next minute you’re arguing with your nest-mate who gets to dress the turkey and who gets mashed potatoes. And even as you’re flossing sweet potato laced marshmallow off your teeth, the inundation of Christmas music has already begun on every radio station as Amazon and UPS drivers joust for dominance of the streets and lanes. And before you can take a moment to properly honor the actual Winter Solstice, you are thrust into the frenzy of hiding wrapping and unwrapping gifts and fighting over whether this year you’ll watch Elf or It’s a Wonderful Life. When you wake up in a popcorn-and-gin-infused stupor to find yourself in that deep dark gulch between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, a slow panic sets in. Where will you spend that certain-to-be Magical Night? How much good ol’ fashioned abuse are you going to put your body through and with whom will you embark on that abuse? Will you commit to one place – your oldest best friend who doesn’t have the necessary sparkle or glitz to warrant an unequivocal New Year’s Eve commitment, or do you start texting your most impressive Influcencer-Adjacent contacts in search of the best options? How can you commit to any single place anyway, when the entire planet via TwitStaGram has been informing you about the countless other, better options “you didn’t know you needed” where you will absolutely find The Answer To All Your Troubles before midnight?

And let’s not even talk about “Resolutions.” So 20th Century.

Before you know it, it’s the first day back: to the grind; to the old wars; the tired bickering and backstabbing, unhealthy rivalries, passive-aggressive point scoring. You know, Normal Life. No more candy. No more candy cane, of any kind. You think it’ll be different this time. Fresh year. Clean slate. Breathe! Breathe! Get some of that Health in you. Some perspective. Get some Control. Some Peace, damn it! GET some of that PEACE everyone’s always chirping about!

We all want to turn the page, don’t we? But it isn’t easy, is it? It takes the turning of several pages to make true Progress toward true Peace. It takes actually reading those pages before turning them. It takes patience, faith, some managed expectations and a willingness to take control, of yourself, of your time, of your pace – that which is in your control.

So this is the reminder:  before you turn the page, read it. Read it with care. Read it completely. Savor each word and each thought behind each word.

Here’s a little something to help you get started.  Check the Current Parliament.  Check the Archives.  Check the pages.  Then turn.

And Happy New Year!