Harpe: Murphy’s Law, and all its stress, rules this time of year

Recently I have had a string of what I would like to call Friday the 13th weeks. These are weeks that are dominated by Murphy’s Law — what can go wrong will go wrong — and it seems as if I cannot get a break on anything.

Usually these weeks tend to happen around the end of the year, so much so that, unfortunately, I tend to dread Christmas rather than look forward to it. Most people I come into contact with, from the people sitting beside me in traffic to even my loved ones, seem to be in some sort of angry frenzy, and there is a huge amount of tension in the air.

I once considered this stress as a sort of Christmas spirit but, after working in retail and now working with both young people and adults as a school teacher, I have had enough of this spirit. At this time of year, everyone is crazy, anticipating Thanksgiving, Christmas or year end. There are lines everywhere, and there are more people out and about than usual, all seemingly impatient and mad.

I really wonder sometimes how I survived the retail world but, in that environment, the crazy was expected and almost entertaining. Now I am one of the masses.

Perhaps my bah-humbug nature is really coming to light this year because I have spent so much time feeling sick and cold. The recent 20-degree week was the bane of my existence, and it is tough to handle the stress without feeling that everyone is crammed into the stuffy indoors, making me less cold but more sick. And the bone-chilling outdoors might as well be an illness in itself.

As you can tell, I am very much a warm-weather person. Try as I may, I find very little joy in the thought of wearing scarves, coats and boots — well, maybe boots are OK.

My Murphy’s Law pre-Christmas season this year is also being influenced by my conflicting emotional state.

I just want to enjoy the season, eat all the food, leisurely stroll through the mall looking for deals, watch all the Christmas movies and sip cider while decorating the tree. Instead, everything is revved into overdrive.

The work obligations, while important, are intense, since I am are trying to finish up the year and meet deadlines. The family obligations, while enjoyable, are met with the pressure of breaking my budget and not having enough time to buy gifts.

Then I have to send Christmas cards, find a tree, decorate the tree, attend holiday parties and somehow bring a homecooked meal. It’s enough to make you catch a cold, oversleep, turn off your cellphone at home and lock your keys in the car — all in one week. By the time Christmas Day comes around, the best gift is being able to sleep for 12 hours straight.

I have thought many times that all this stress just has to do with my mindset, which is probably true, but very difficult to overcome while surrounded by people still feeling the same amount of pressure.

I am not sure how to eliminate this stress, but I can try to face it with a prayer for peace, renewed joy and strength for a positive outlook as I dive further into this busy time.

Contact Corin Harpe at corinharpe@gmail.com.