One Wedding And A Holiday

“Give me books, fruit, French wine and fine weather and a little music out of doors, played by someone I do not know. I admire lolling on a lawn by a water-lilied pond to eat white currants and see goldfish: and go to the fair in the evening if I’m good. There is not hope for that – one is sure to get into some mess before evening.” – John Keats

That was a long holiday. A much-needed one. Hopefully everyone enjoyed their time off from the doldrums of normalcy. For me it was one of my better holidays. People tend to have a bunch of plans for the Eid holiday, centering on family, friends and getting away. Aqaba, the Dead Sea. Whatever. That never seems to work out with me. Beyond the expectations of family visitations, this holiday was peaceful, which is exactly what I needed. I slept. I read. I watched a bunch of good movies. Stayed away from the news, which is a more cathartic experience than you’d imagine. I avoided blogging and the Internet in general as best I could. I got sick for three days. Got better. Spent some time in the Valley. Celebrated the wedding of two of my best friends, Saher and Sara. Reunited with old friends. Played cards and boardgames. Did a little creative writing. Slept some more. Played my guitar. Took some pictures. Drove around town. Avoided phone calls.

And that’s what I would call a perfect December holiday.

Weddings are interesting. I don’t attend many, but like any Jordanian, I’ve had my good share. The wild contrast between the various classes of society create a whole different atmosphere. From the five star hotel, west Ammani wedding, to the more traditional, tented wedding of the east and indeed the rest of Jordan. Every wedding has its own people, its own atmosphere and I’ve always found it interesting to observe. And it doesn’t matter what a bride and groom might want; a Jordanian wedding is strictly subject to its environment, its surrounding class structure, its demographics. It’s about what those in attendance expect, or demand. Sometimes there’s even a clash, when two families come together for a wedding and each is from a completely different strata of society. There is a rising atmosphere of awkwardness. But, in most cases, things work out pretty smoothly.

But in any case, I don’t want to rant on about this particular subject, I’ll leave it for another day.

Suffice to say, seeing my two friends, whom I’ve known since the 8th grade (and have probably been together since then) finally tie the knot, was a pretty momentous occasion. Typically, these types of weddings last about 3 or 4 hours, but for the closest friends of the groom who are typically by his side throughout the process, the wedding was a 14-hour event. In any case, I congratulate them from the bottom of my heart, and wish them a wonderful life together. I am also absolutely overjoyed that this occasion granted me the opportunity to have taken enough embarrassing photos of my friend during his preparation to blackmail him for millions in the future.

Meanwhile, rain falls. Days are getting colder. Winter is upon us and the leaves are crumbling yellow. And now, it’s back to the salt mines and the looming dread of a listless, monochromatic January.

Hope you all had a nice holiday!

We now resume our regular programming.