Another battle in weary war with life
Barry Clarke, chairperson of Kerry Sustainable Energy Co- Operative spoke about how they are a community based co-operative business, who actively promote more local ownership of renewable energy. KSEC aims to substitute imported fossil fuels with locally sourced renewable energy, creating benefits to the local community. They also seek to fulfil the vision of the Transition Kerry Sustainable Energy Roadmap, which aims to have a 100 per cent Renewable Energy Kerry by 2030.
Look up www.ksec.ie for more information on this. NEVER before have I felt Christmas to explode like it did on the first day of December this year. It was like everyone in the country woke up that day and decided – yes, it was Christmastime.
The Late Late Toy Show being on the same day only added grist to the mill. I really expected that when my kids would be the age they are now that that kind of pressure would ease. It doesn’t. Still I can’t fault them; they arranged themselves to be in situ to get the house Toy Show-ready because, apparently, there is no point looking at the Toy Show unless the corner has a tree and the house is a criminal cascade of light. Between batteries, lanterns, lights, decorations and gammy Christmas tree stands, the whole Christmas decoration process took just under six hours. It is a work-out like no other. By the time the Toy Show started I was exhausted.
Even by my Christmas standards, the first day of December is too soon to put up the tree but our house is a democracy and other than the rare issue that calls for a dictator, I usually go with the popular vote. So as I sat looking at the newly erected tree all done, decorated and ready for another season, it was more of a thanksgiving moment that enveloped me rather than a Christmassy one.
Even in bad times, Christmas has always been an island of joy for me. It is timed nicely in the middle of winter and never fails me in making the dark days brighter. So too in bad times, has Christmas been a sanctuary for me, a place to hide for a while from the rough seas of normal life and living.
2017 saw us a family disperse and divide and my thanks were for the fact that we were all now at this side of the year, our travels done, our adventures over and our family together; safe. But then I got to thinking; what if I didn’t have that luxury, what if I didn’t have this cosy set-up?
What about those for whom 2017 didn’t deliver travels and adventure and safe returns; didn’t deliver love, security and peace. What about those for whom 2017 brought heartbreak, abandon, sickness and isolation? What about those for whom 2017 brought homelessness, destitution and financial ruin? How does Christmas work for them? None of those things get suspended just because Christmas comes along and ‘ goodwill’ prevails on earth. Far from Christmas being an island of joy or a sanctuary of peace, it is likely to be a looming obstacle on the horizon; a memory, a reminder or just another pressure.
On the first day of December Christmas exploded but this year more than any other year, I cannot help but think about those for whom Christmas is just another battle in a weary war with life.