Happy Fake Easter

Easter always bothers me — except every four years or so when the stars align and all the Easters fall on the same date. It bothers me because I know what it must feel like not be Christian in a Christian society; and what it feels like is annoying. I'm annoyed at having to explain over and over - sometimes to the same people - thanking you for wishing me a Happy Easter, but no, it's not my Easter. Do I go around wishing random people holidays they don't celebrate? No. I do not. And if I did, they would certainly complain about it. So now it's my turn to complain.

This year the Eastern Orthodox Easter, along with the Passover it always follows, isn't until the end of April. A full month after the Western world celebrates it's Easter.

I'm annoyed by the people I encounter who keep giving me sad looks like, "Oh, poor girl, she has no one to spend the holiday with." And I want to shout at them, "It's NOT MY EASTER! Stop feeling sorry for me." And then I'm annoyed because I feel sad I have no one to spend the day with. Just me and Roland, doing laundry and repotting the cactus and finishing our state taxes (well, my taxes; he's finishing a bone I gave him last week).

I'm annoyed because I have to work tomorrow and I leave on Wednesday for England and I need to do a bunch of stuff and this is my only day off to do them and I can't because all of the stupid stores are closed for Easter. It makes me want to scream, "What about all the people who AREN'T Western Christians?! Huh? There are a lot of Jews here, a goodly number of Hindus and Muslims and Orthodox Christians too! We NEED to shop. Why aren't you open for us?!

I'm also annoyed because it's the end of March and it's still cold outside...but that's a different topic for a different day.