I think this year I will refrain from making resolutions that I will never keep and just sort of go with a general "let's keep it all in perspective/get the balance right" motto.
Yesterday was the first day of swimming lessons and also the first day that really made me heave a sigh and realise that the New Year really is about to begin again in ernest and I am totally not ready for that. Anyhow, after patting myself on the back for having 3 children out the door with togs and towels and all the miscellaneous crap and suitably healthy snacks, sunscreen and drink bottles, we decided to compound swimming lessons with a long overdue library visit. As I walked into the magazines section a cheery voice exclaimed "Here she is!" A pause as I looked at an old, wizened, partially toothless, totally unrecognised face. "Well, at least she would be if I thought I knew you" said the smiling face.
"It was nice to be greeted with such enthusiasm" I told the total stranger.
"Do you realise that half the year is gone and it is the third of January already!" She demanded, "and I've already had the most terrible things happen to me!"
What followed was really quite a nonsensical conversation in which my stranger played the eternal pessimist and I the eternal optimist. It lasted only the few moments it took me to select a couple of tatty back issues of UK Country Living but I found myself chuckling over our conversation later.
It was a "red letter" library day with several new good crafty reads and a few interesting books. Most of all I loved that the children were so worn out from swimming that they condescended to "quiet hour" and I found myself camped on the bed with my lovely new stash of books, windows wide to a Summer breeze and the sound of birdsong in the gum treetops. This quiet hour was my first real chance to just slow, and breathe, and dream this holidays and it made me realise and recognise the importance of carving out these moments in my life. No matter how busy the coming months get (and I know they will get crazy as we have been given a STEM research grant at work which is exciting and scary and no doubt full of extra hours and brain strain too) I think if I can find a spot of quiet time like that to just be, to turn off the noise, then hopefully life will feel more balanced. My serendipitous conversation with the library pessimist reminded me of what a charmed life we lead. It is up to me to stop moaning about being busy and just get in there and get on with it. Enjoy the simple things and the little moments and not get overwhelmed by the trivial and mundane bits.
So, whoever you are, wherever you are, from your Pollyanna friend, a Happy New Year to you, may it be full of peace, gratitude, and an appreciation for the simple, sweet things in life.
xxx
p.s. This post was supposed to be accompanied by a photo I took yesterday but I haven't figured out how to add photos directly from the iPad yet? If anyone can help me with that I would be eternally grateful.
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