I am creating time to Make The Most Of That Peaceful Quietness After Christmas, are you?
Those few special days after Christmas and before New Year can go by like a flash. They are already passing quickly and I have to reign in my panic!
I consciously made every effort to slow down for Christmas, and I did to the best of my abilities. It can get a little frantic with shopping and planning, but since I made that mental note to Cherish a cosy calm Christmas – it really did turn out that way in the end. I kept the words ‘cosy’ and ‘calm’ in my mind to keep me inspired.
In my last blog post – Slowing down to the year’s end – Don’t beat yourself up I was reflective on my year and could’nt help the feeling of melconcoly creep over me. But as Christmas set in, I took in every moment. Don’t get me wrong – it wasn’t perfect. Not by a long shot. My toddler having a tandrum outside when I took him for a walk always shows me to never use that ‘perfect’ label. But it was nice, it was quiet, peaceful, cosy and calm.
So in keeping with my slowing down, I am making this a short post. If I’m being honest, I looked at the calendar this morning and gasped in horror! A week has disappeared since my last blog post and I’m a little hazy with what happened in the process!
Right now I have poured myself a cup of steaming rich coffee, ate a slice of toast and launched into writing words. The thing is, as the house is quiet I want to take a moment to journal my gratitude. To be in a state of reflection of the year gone – whether it be good and bad. Not trying to fit my emotions in a box, but just to sit with them and acknowledge them. I invite you to do this task also, if you have some moments of calm, pick up a pen and lets get started.
What was a special moment that’s stuck in your memory?
What did you do this year to help others?
What was the sadest part of the year?
What are you grateful for, right now?
Imagine that I am with you, writing my own thoughts and feelings. Do not judge yourself, just write what comes to you, no need to second guess yourself – you don’t even need to read those words again.
In the meantime I’ll leave a beautiful winter poem and see you in the new year when we all have more energy.
Snowy Night by Mary Oliver Last night, an owl in the blue dark tossed an indeterminate number of carefully shaped sounds into the world, in which, a quarter of a mile away, I happened to be standing. I couldn’t tell which one it was – the barred or the great-horned ship of the air – it was that distant. But, anyway, aren’t there moments that are better than knowing something, and sweeter? Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees that one could easily imagine its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness. I suppose if this were someone else’s story they would have insisted on knowing whatever is knowable – would have hurried over the fields to name it – the owl, I mean. But it’s mine, this poem of the night, and I just stood there, listening and holding out my hands to the soft glitter falling through the air. I love this world, but not for its answers. And I wish good luck to the owl, whatever its name – and I wish great welcome to the snow, whatever its severe and comfortless and beautiful meaning.
If you liked this, please have a peek at my other blog posts such as – Don’t wait for joy, bring it towards you now
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