ONLY 366 TO GO . . .

   Or, is it  365 days ?  Not certain since 2020 is a Leap Year.
That is . .x. . days until next Christmas Day.  (Note: Christmas Day).  Christmas season began yesterday and continues for the next 12 days for those who are influenced by the liturgical calendar.  The often-sung Twelve Days of Christmas gets little air time after the 25th.

   Aside from the 'religious' significance of the Season, I now remember rather the . . . what to call it ?  . . . the cultural, the commercial, the nostalgic experiences associated with  CHRISTMAS.  And, of course, there is the collective impact of the music, the emphasis on home and family, the gifts under the TREE, the venerated family recipes , and other such memories.

   As a youth, I thought dusk on Christmas Day ranked at the top of the SAD list.  Another year  to wait !! Seemed like an eternity. Not that the current year's toys were broken or even worse for the wear nor that  all the nuts and candies had been eaten. Perhaps it indicated the end or at least the suspension of the magic and the 'visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads', even long after  we were 'wise' about some of the gifting origins.

   Now as those 365 days come and go in a flash and 'Christmases Past' have greatly increased in number, I often wish that time's pace would slow down a bit to give more opportunities for reflection.  Whatever your opinion may be of retired journalist, Dan Rather, his Facebook post on Christmas Eve seems to me to offer Hope in the midst of our challenging  times.  He wrote in part: "I sometimes   wonder how many Christmases I have left. The truth is none of us have any way of really knowing.  This is a time to . . . try to take stock of one's relationships, with family, friends, and with one's self."  He went on to note that while reflecting on Christmases past, he also feels "the warmth of the blessings of the present.  I breathe deep a hope, always hope, for the future."

    HOPE , not 'wishful thinking', not even magical thinking, coupled with a greatly misunderstood word ...LOVE*... seem to offer spiritual sustenance for making our way through the upcoming 366 days.
  (*not the same as sentimentalism or 'liking' but the conscious choice to seek  others' well  being as well as our own)
     Satchel

DON QUIXOTE and IMPOSSIBLE DREAMS

  I begin with an acknowledgement (or apology): I have never read Miguel Cervantes's novel Don Quixote, second only to the Bible as the most-translated book in the world.  Many years ago, I saw  a stage production and the movie version of The Man of LaMancha.  Consequently, I lack qualification to offer literary interpretation.  Variously characterized as farcical, moralistic, tragic and idealistic, the book/dramatizations continue to open profound vistas into the human soul/psyche.

  Recently we went again to Brookgreen Gardens in South Carolina where I have always been drawn to the statue of Don Quixote (and to the one of his traveling companion Sancho).  On our most recent visit, I realized that I was moved almost to tears . . .  without clear understanding of "Why?".  So these are my personal projections of 'meaning' of the story and the statue.  While 'orthodox interpretations' make DQ a deranged idealist  out of touch with 'reality', I wonder if a surface view of 'reality' blinds many of us to other ways of understanding and 'Meaning'.

   When I first heard the song The Impossible Dream, my reaction was dismissive : I thought it something akin to 'schmaltzy.  Then  I saw  the dramatization and the movie and the compelling context.
Defining his 'quest', DQ spoke of "to fight the unbeatable foe; to run where the brave dare not go. . . to right the unrightable wrong. . .to fight for the  Right without question or pause;  . . . to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause. . . and the world will be better for this."

   Squalor, corruption, "I-ness",  and other  expressions of dehumanization need no elaboration.  And, confronted with such, 
"why try to change things for the better ?" becomes a prevailing cynicism .  A clear expression of such occurred in the musical 
The Sound of Music when Captain VonTrapp's friends attempted to persuade him to violate his principles and serve the Nazi movement, declaring 'There's No Way to Stop It'.  "You dear attractive dewy-eyed Idealist. Today you have to learn to be a Realist. You may be bent on doing  deeds of daring-do, but up against a shark, what can a herring do?  Be wise, compromise . . .     Let them think you're on their side, be non-committal"  The Captain's protest that "I will not bow my head to the men  I despise" was met with "You won't have to bow your head, just stoop a little".

  Whatever DQ's motivations may have been, capitulation to the status quo of evil was not acceptable.  For aspiring DQ's, clarity of motivation as well as awareness of our own inconsistencies (some would argue "hypocrisy") in the presence of 'evil' can offer protection against self-righteousness.  

   So, what did DQ accomplish?  How to evaluate his 'quest'? Or, what difference did he make?  Let's ask Aldonza who while absent in the novel was prominent in Man of La Mancha.  When he insisted on calling her a 'lady', she protested that she was anything but a lady.  Ultimately, according to the dramatization/movie interpretation, a  transformation occurred and she became 'a different person'.  Pursuit of the 'impossible dream' does not always (often) produce immediate positive outcomes. Do we then accept Captain VonTrapp's friend's admonition ? Is it naive to be 'good for Goodness's sake' (even if Santa Claus is not watching) ?  Have you seen the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood? that is based on Mr. Rogers (Fred Rogers) life changing relationship with a magazine writer?  

   In the eulogy for his murdered brother, Robert, Edward Kennedy remembered his belief that "some men see things as they are and say why; I dream things that never were and say why not ?"  Might that mean that 'quixotic' behaviors can result in scorn, ridicule and possible death ?  Well, there are several notable examples in the 'real world' and not exclusively in literature.

Sancho's statue at Brookgreen Gardens

    I'm still holding the matter of  DQ, his statue, and 'meaning' open for further understanding.  When Aldonza asked Sancho why he travelled with DQ, his answer was "I like him, I simply like him".




      
                  Satchel