Beginnings: 2015

“Beginnings can be delicate or explosive. They can start almost invisibly or arrive with a big bang. Beginnings hold the promise of new lessons to be learned, new territory to be explored, and old lessons to be recalled, practiced, and appreciated.”

These are the wickedly wise words of Melody Beattie from her book, “Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul”. They are strategically placed under the title of ‘Honour the Beginning’ and notated in her January 1st entry.

I cannot agree with her more. Beginnings do not necessarily have to start at the first of a New Year, but they are so metaphorically appropriate that I cannot help but be persuaded to have faith and hope in the New Year.

Last night I went to bed with the pessimistic attitude that this year will be no different; that it will be no better or worse than last year; and that things are not necessarily in my control.

Today though I am determined to take back control, with the understanding that all things are not within my power—that I have to let some things go (as in the immortal words of the movie Frozen hit tune “Let It Go”) and shake “it” off (thank you Taylor Swift)—“it” being my pessimistic forecast for the year.

In seven words, Melody sums up what the New Year holds. She says: “Beginnings hold ambiguity, promise, fear, and hope.” She has conjured up a recipe of ingredients, which if shaken (not stirred) foreshadow the year ahead. I will grasp promise and hold onto hope knowing that there will be trials ahead. Trials I have to face; trials I must wrangle with; and trials that will be won.

I am nothing if not pragmatic. I know that with wins there will be losses. With triumphs there will be failure. With success will come mistakes. But if you adhere to author Neil Gaiman’s philosophy, mistakes are our way of moving forward. His hope for the New Year is summed up in these words:

“I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You’re doing things you’ve never done before, and more importantly, you’re doing something.”

This New Year, I want to do something, and if in doing so I make mistakes, then I will look at them as the prelude to change. And I will start looking at change as not a bad thing—but something to celebrate; something to adjust to; and in that adjustment become more evolved. Growing is not something we should give up when we have reached our height—we should continue the growth to our very depths.

Staying static is the enemy. Letting it go, and shaking it off are good advice. Even if that advice comes from a runaway movie or pop star.

(Thanks to Cindy Guest Taylor, photosfromtheloonybin, for the Neil Gaiman quote.)

Do you have any advice for the New Year that may sound clichéd but is very sensible in its roots?

Warmth and Inspiration

 Have not been too inspired of late, but here is my weekly offering in the form of my column:

            This never-ending winter has many of us hunkered down and if not hibernating at least wishing that was an option. I, however, have done my part. On March 1^st I took down the wreath I had on my front door which featured a snowman and put up a new more seasonal wreath. Or at least it is a wreath that I hope becomes seasonal soon. It sports pink and lime green hydrangeas and looks quite lovely in contrast to all the white that envelops us.

            After I put the wreath on the front door on Saturday, my husband, John and I travelled to Kitchener to go to a wedding and when we got back yesterday I made the disappointed observation that my tactic did not work. Apparently springtide was not attracted to my symbolic gesture—so I will just have to accept that while it may not be around the immediate corner, the warm season is at the end of a long jaunt filled with ice craters, snow piles, and deep car-eating ruts in the road.

            The road trip to Kitchener was uneventful—but a bit dicey on the way home yesterday. One of the things that John and I do to make the trip more enjoyable is play music from our misspent youths. I am sure that John has now had his fill of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, and in particular one of my favourite ballads of all times: “Our House”. I love the melodic tale it tells and will share some of the words with you now. I would share the whole thing, but I think there are copyright issues:

“I’ll light the fire, You put the flowers in the vase, That you bought today–

Staring at the fire, For hours and hours, While I listen to you, Play your love songs,
All night long for me, Only for me–

Come to me now, And rest your head for just five minutes, Everything is good,
Such a cosy room, The windows are illuminated, By the sunshine through them
Fiery gems for you, Only for you…….”

And my favourite verse of all: “Our house is a very, very fine house
With two cats in the yard, Life used to be so hard
Now everything is easy’, Cause of you…..”

            This song embraces “home” to me—warmth, contentedness, love, and the fact that life can be hard, but the people you surround yourself with can make it so much easier. So in this vast coldness and Arctic vortex winter, we can be warmed by words until the sun shines a little warmer.

            The other song that John had to put up with on our road trip was from the movie “Frozen”. I picked up the soundtrack from Costco for less than $9 if anyone is interested and we listened to the song “Let It Go” in its various renditions. I particularly love track 10 which is the Demi Lovato version of the song—her voice soars and makes the words come alive. Just the words “Let It Go” have a power in themselves and each of us can translate them to mean what we want them to—I am sure all of us have to let something go in order to make room for other and better things. Here is a sample of some of the words I found particularly inspiring, and coming from the movie “Frozen” seem very apropos to the weather we have been having: “Let it go! Let it go! I am one with the wind and sky,

Let it go! Let it go! You’ll never see me cry,

Here I stand and here I’ll stay

Let the storm rage on….”

            Though winter is not done with us yet and “rages on”, I will take the lilting words of the “Frozen” song to heart and “Let It Go” all the while dreaming of “Our House” with a warm fire, fresh flowers in a vase, and cats in the backyard. In reality though it has to warm up for my cat to venture out—he sniffs the cold air and hightails it back in the house dreaming of adventures and warmer days. So while I dream of those days too, I will adjust my spring wreath and put on my big boots until nature finds it in her heart to warm up the environs.