postcards from nowhere

Greetings!

My postcard about holiday giving seems to have stirred up some energy.  
Especially the part where I mention that I do not celebrate Christmas.  
Will you allow me to clarify myself?  

I have no beef with Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, or any of the other 
holidays I don't celebrate.  Any catalyst for generosity and togetherness
is a great thing in my book!

When I first started sending these postcards, they went to family and 
friends who knew me well.  Thus I did not mince words or dilute my 
opinions in any way, because they already knew I was 'out there', but 
harmless.  (in all honesty, word mincing has never been a strength of 
mine, in any case!)

I'm so delighted that my postcards have been forwarded far and wide, and 
now many of you do not know who I am as you read.  To those of you who 
may have been offended in any way by the last postcard or anything else 
I've said -- my sincerest apologies.

On my website I describe my postcards as 'like visiting the zoo to look 
at the funny animals.'  My mind works in unusual ways, which is a source 
of great amusement and delight to me, and occasionally to those around 
me as well, so I write about it.  

What I find interesting about going to the zoo is seeing all the strange 
animals; marveling at the miraculous effectiveness of the zebra's 
camouflage, or the efficient design of the elephant's trunk.  I am 
fascinated by the exotic qualities that distinguish creatures from 
each other, and make them so different from me.

When I mention that I don't celebrate Christmas, or that I gave birth 
at home, or that I don't like football, or whatever, it is never with 
the intention of converting you to my point of view.  Nor am I standing 
in judgment of your point of view.  

Just think of me as a giraffe or zebra, standing on the grass looking 
interesting and chewing leaves.  If my ideas are amusing or thought-
provoking, that's great.  And if they are not, just let them go and 
move on to the next animal.  I'm not handing out magic markers and 
asking you to copy my stripes, or poking fun at your short neck.  I'm 
just doing my thing.  I display the contents of my mind with no more 
of an agenda than the leopard displaying his spots.

I hope this helps.  As always, I welcome your comments and criticisms, 
and I'm grateful to those of you who brought this issue to my attention.

Happy whatever you celebrate,

Karen