text and images britt-arnhild
It is the end of the year. Time for reflections and time for opening the gate to a new year.
I know many of you find a word which follows you into and through the coming year. As I had a mug of tea with a spoon of honey this morning, I told myself; "If I am to frame my next year with a word, it will have to be the word health"
I have had the flu now since before the holidays. Some days are better, some are worse. My voice is still lost, and my breathing is heavy. I have said no to a parties, I am so much better of on the sofa, wrapped in a blanket, surrounded by my books. Yes, health is an essential word.
I am lucky though. This is "just a cold". I know I will be better in a few days, even though this cold has been a hard one and lasted longer than expected. I sit here, looking out the window, missing my early morning weekend photo walk, but the blue sky, the few white clouds, the sun, the birds at the feeder, it all gives me joy and pleasure.
Even the extra hours, the extra days I am giving because of the flu, it feels like blessings. No need to rush, actually no possibility to rush as my breath won´t allow it. I write a letter and it feels like having a chat with a dear friend, I listen to some music and let my mind wander, I find my paintbox and decorate small envelopes for my columbine seeds, I have coffee and Christmas cookies with Terje, I flip though Tessa Kiros´latest cookbook, I watch the squirrels and the birds out in the garden, I write a blog post looking through old photos to illustrate the words.
If I were to pick a word for 2013, it might have been the word health.
I am not going to pick a word though.
But, I am going to focus.
Like I always do the last days of December, when the new year is still unborn, I give myself a list on things to focus on the coming 12 months. This list is not the list of all the good deeds I will do, all the money I will give away, all the chocolate I will stop eating, and the exercise I will do every day from now on......
....no, this is a completely egoistic list. A list of when I will do to paint my mind with the rainbow.
The list is being born today, and is about gardens,
and gardeners,
and flowers,
and growth,
and colours,
and columbines, and roses, and peonies and camelias,
and botanical gardens around the world,
and Gertrude Jekyll,
and.....
May be I have a word for 2013 anyway!
Or rather two words:
Gardens and gardeners.
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Whay about you? Do you have a word to focus on for the coming year?
