spiritual life in the festive season 3

It's raining today, so the shopping centre is loudly proclaiming it's status as substitute beach. 
Bright bulb replace the warm light of the sun; smooth marble take the place of the enfolding sand; the beat of the music replaces the resonance of the breakers. 

The sounds of people are the same though: talking, laughing, arguing.  The little children are the same - they run about regardless.  Older children walk blank-faced, and hope for ice-cream or burgers.  Teenagers hang out in collections, animated or apethetic, depending on some unknown.  But the older people are not at the beach.  They are not relaxing, absorbing the view; they hurry unseeing from one goal to the next.  Gifts become chores, treats become irritations. 

There is no fun, only activity.  There is no energy, only drive.  There is no vision, only eyes.  There is no time, only hours.  So we miss the meaning, and the joy escapes us.