Flowering in the New Year
Welcome 2025 to my Garden
For the new year I have been creating art with a theme of phoenix rising, and in particular phoenix rising from a dumpster fire, for the last few years. This year’s is a chick coming to consciousness in the ash and mess, not yet stretching his wings out to get up and away from the trash of the year prior.
The other meme I generally find and share at this time of year is a cartoon of a woman kneeling in a garden, sprinkling something from her hands. A person nearby asks what this new year will bring, and she replies calmly, “flowers.”
“How do you know that?” the bystander asks.
“Because I’m planting them.” She answers.
This upcoming year is going to be once of changes and major life transition for me, as my work contract ends at the close of March. I have no idea what comes after that, although I do plan to take a little time off. Then…? Well, I’ll find out later I suppose. I do know one thing. I’m going to have an amazing garden which will keep me too busy to be anxious. I know I will, because I’m planting it. Furthermore, what I planted last year (and the year before) is blooming even now, to assure me that my labors have not been in vain. Here are a few things that are in flower today!
This is going to be a wonderful year. How do I know that? Because I’m doing my best to find the wonder in it. I’m looking for ways to learn, and grow. I’m working on regaining my discipline and routines, and have been for a few weeks now, as the daily blogging may have showed my loyal readers. I want to maintain my sense of wonder at it all. Maintenance implies ongoing work, so… I shall begin as I mean to go on. With hope. With open eyes to the beauty that surrounds me in everyday life. With a commitment to writing (mental health) and exercise (physical health) and gardening which is both plus the spiritual communion time my faith requires of me.
I don’t make resolutions. I simply use this as a handy time to stop, check where I am, what my goals are, and clarify my path towards those is on the correct orientation. It’s the equivalent of consulting my map and compass. Orienteering, like life, is simple to get lost in the woods because it’s challenging to see the long view and birds-eye perspective when you are in the tall weeds of the day-to-day chores.
Today I wrote 735 words.
Today I walked for 17 minutes.
Today I drew for 15 minutes.
Tomorrow, I hope…
Nice start to the New Year. Turk's Cap "in full bloom" made me smile. So easy to miss! Years back, we'd go out into fields west of the city and look for pasque flowers. Early Spring in the Midwest is not conducive to abundant, colorful blooms. And we'd routinely walk past and even through whole groups of "pulsitilla vulgaris" without really seeing them. Bet a person could do the same with Turk's Cap.
Well said and well done.