Slogging through December and all of its added social outings, Christmas parties and shows. It's been fun, but fatiguing. Feeling a bit partied out, and there's still plenty more to come this week. Trying a bit too hard--not that I'm entirely trying to be something or someone I'm not, but bringing out parts of my personality that don't come as naturally or have as much exercise. Conversational ebbs and flows, witty and no-so-witty remarks, inevitable feet in mouth on various occasions, or varying degrees of party fouls and indiscretions (as discreet as you can be spilling wine on yourself, for hypothetical example).
I don't think it's strictly just a matter of being secure in my identity in Christ or not--though that can be a large part of the picture of how I'm relating to my friends and acquaintances and strangers in a big groupy mess. But I think some of it is just a matter of personality and the typical demands of medium to large social gatherings. I can enjoy meeting new people and having all these fun conversations, it just exhausts my social energy.
Sidenote: a friend of mine remarked a few weeks ago that humor is the male cleavage. Often true, I think.
Otherwise, after a good month and a half or so, life might be settling back down to the baseline "blah" for 2008. And that's fine, it's workable, for now. It will be easier to reflect in January. My sleep schedule and my devotional reading (or reading of any kind) have definitely drifted off lately. Hard to believe that in a week I will be in Chicago, and a week after that Massachusetts. Then return to Nashville for the New Year.
I do love the Advent season, but perpetual Christmas festivities have definitely supplanted the waiting and the quiet so far this month.
