Page 42 of Stuck in Christmas

“About the pendulum?” I recalled the old story.

“Exactly. Wow, you’ve been here a while.” She smiled, and I felt something lighter in my chest. “But it sounds like all these are encouraging clues, so where does it go wrong?”

“I’m always with Eli. We’re having a great time,and then, things just sort of re-set. I trip, fall, or get hit by snow, and suddenly, I’m right back in that snowbank out front.”

“Things just re-set,” Bonnie echoed.

“Yes.”

“What is the catalyst for the re-set?” she asked.

I could only frown in response. “I don’t know.”

“Don’t you, though?”

“I don't.” Frustration bubbled up inside me.

“Okay, then walk me through it. Besides Santa giving you a re-set, what were you doing before the latest one?”

“Talking to Eli about relationships.”

“What was the conversation about—exactly?”

I recalled the moment vividly. “He said watching you and Joe work at your marriage every day set the bar pretty high. He realized true love was worth the wait.”

“It is,” Bonnie agreed, her voice warm. “What else do you remember before the re-sets?”

I hesitated, remembering the Christmas Tree farm. “There was that time when he leaned in to kiss me?—”

Bonnie clasped her hands together, excitement sparking in her eyes. “Ooh! How was it?”

“The kiss?” I faltered as I remembered all thedefinitely not naughtythoughts that went through my head.

“Yes,” she urged.

“It wasn’t,” I said, the bitterness of the memory biting back. “I turned away and fell, resetting the day.”

“Oh dear.”

“And there was that time sledding,” I added, dread pooling in my stomach.

“And?” Bonnie pressed, her enthusiasm unwavering.

I shook my head.

“I think I’m seeing a pattern,” she mused.

“Every time I’ve pulled away from him, the day resets,” I admitted, my voice low.

“Great. Now we know what’s happening for the reset to happen, but do we know why it’s happening?”

“I don’t follow,” I replied, confusion swirling in my mind.

“I don’t think it’s enough not to pull away. You must ask yourself: why are you pulling away in the first place?”

“I don’t know.”

“You sure about that? I think this is the lesson you’re supposed to learn.”

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