German Village At Christmas

A few years ago, my department at work agreed to skip exchanging Christmas gifts. Instead, we choose a place to volunteer together and then have lunch somewhere fun.

We have helped out at Meals on Wheels and one year we went to Ronald McDonald House in Columbus to bake cookies for their residents. That was pre-pandemic, of course. This year, our bank purchased supplies to pack snack bags for that organization. We gathered Friday to pack those bags and deliver them along with more than a dozen blankets some of our coworkers had made and donated.

Since we were already near German Village, we had lunch at a fantastic little neighborhood joint called the Old Mohawk. Everything looked so festive and pretty I couldn’t resist snapping a few pictures while in the neighborhood.

I was especially taken with these baubles suspended from trees in front of a private residence. I would like to see this scene lit up at night.

And this place is simply gorgeous.

Ya’ll know how I like my doors. Check out the blue and red combination!

I periodically pop into the bookstore in German Village but feel like I should explore the neighborhood a little better. That will be a good excuse to return to the Old Mohawk. If you’re looking for a lunch spot, it didn’t disappoint.

Problems And Fresh Perspective

This week has been challenging. I’m tired and haven’t felt well since getting a flu shot. Everyone needs something. Lots of people are picking at each other. Things just aren’t going well and obstacles have been the norm rather than the exception to the rule.

The key phrase yesterday was “you’ve got to be kidding me.”

A full blown tantrum has been on the horizon for several days.

But a work errand sent me to Columbus yesterday where I drove past Children’s Hospital and Ronald McDonald House. There was a woman wrangling two small children outside Ronald McDonald House and it occurred to me there are people out there with real, life threatening problems.

So I took a big breath of fresh air and decided it best to appreciate the good in my problems. That’s not to say they aren’t real but my issues right now would fall into a category that should be marked “Headaches” rather than “Day-Shattering-Tantrum-Inducing-Crises.”

I’m busy because people need me and because I have a job. That flu shot was covered by my health insurance and may keep me healthy later. Those obstacles that keep screwing up my schedule? That could all be a plot by the universe to keep me alive for another day. If an accident happens in the blink of an eye, all these delays could be preventing something terrible from making matters worse.

Sometimes you just have to pause a moment and reframe things. A good gulp of fresh air and a new perspective never hurt anyone.

Let’s see what hurdles this day holds, shall we?