Here we are in a brand New Year! I’ve seen comments online, “How about we circle back to a gently used year, like 1994? Or, “Can we simply return this year?” (as if it were purchased on Amazon).No doubt the population is tired. There is nothing wrong with the year except so much of what is going on in the world and I won’t belabor that here. But, WHAT IF we found a way to look at the world through fresh eyes? What if we tried again that beginner mind concept and looked upon our days as if for the first time? To implement this I suggest momentarily imagining you have appeared at this present moment as Cleopatra or some other historical figure. Assume a gentle transition and absorb, as if you are her, the many luxuries we are often afforded today. Wow – homes with temperature control. Wow – automobiles and planes for transportation, beautiful public gardens, schools of higher learning, hot air balloons. Teleport from a different time to this one.
It helps to be a creative person. Another I have used in the past is to realize that someday in the future I would give just about anything to go back to this one day, even if simply for a day; to experience who was with me and in my home, to see the atmosphere and gardens, to breathe in the way the air felt in that specific place. Imagine future you would love to go back to this day and cherish it as it was happening in the present. Life changes; sometimes there is warning and sometimes life changes with no preparation. It’s sad and it’s hard that life flows ephemerally but if we can live in it the first time with open eyes we stand a better chance of not becoming haunted with its passing.
What are you doing with your January days? I have been intent on the idea of wintering, a term I heard a couple of months ago. Like trees that become dormant for the winter, there is a pause called for in these months. I am feeling it heavier this year since there was no true winter in my life a year ago. Last winter I went straight from family holidays to art shows in Ft. Lauderdale and Delray Beach. The Miami atmosphere and weather were impeccable. And still, in the rushes of travel, it felt good to get home before returning to Florida to finish the season. There’s no place like home …..
Where is home? That’s clearly subjective. I could share a lot of details but, big picture, home is currently where I think of as home base. It’s where my cats live alongside my art supplies, plants and books. It’s a nest of a place where I can, for stretches of time, find both solitude and deep friendship. What does home mean to you? This year I can see more that ever home changes with various seasons of life. It’s no longer the backdrop for where I’m raising my family. It’s simply where I replenish.
And that’s where Cleopatra comes in. I have a feeling she would be amused by modern times, though she peopably wouldn’t want to stay here. Be Cleopatra for a week and see how perspective changes. For one full week, pretend you are her, here. You know from the beginning there is an end. How would you live this week differently? Your stereo operates through your phone? Listen as if for the first time. You are a time traveler, you can pretend to be Cleopatra but being you is very similar. There is a timeline to your trip; it does end, but more immediately it does change. Let today be a day that in the future you would like to repeat; design it. And for those in the greatest grief, I hope that the days pass with grace and there is even one thing that you can appreciate for its comfort.
All the days pass.
c.s.
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