Yesterday was beautiful.
I went out for a walk in the morning as the overnight mist was lifting, and the air was cool but not cold, under a sunny, clear sky filled with birdsong. I felt a powerful sense of renewal in the world.
There is little new growth yet, but the trees were covered in buds. Although we are not long past the shortest day of the year, the ridiculously mild temperature and the sun which felt warm on my face, reminded me that there is one more minute of daylight today than there was yesterday, and tomorrow there will be one more than that. And it will not be long before each day gains an extra two minutes, then three, then four…
The air smelt clearer and cleaner than it had for months, and I felt like beginning a long journey. I yearned to be walking on the Downs, or heading through fields and woods with my destination nothing more elaborate than a bed in a basic bunkhouse or hostel, and somewhere to get a meal, preferably in a tiny village surrounded by hills and streams and woods. This is a feeling I get every Spring, that it is a time to explore more of the world.
Everything seems to be fresh. I need to do something new, something positive. To plant some trees, perhaps (always a good idea).
I thought of Christmas. This year, we had a string of lights in one room, with handfuls of greenery as the only other decorations. This, for me, is a way to make sense of the season. It has nothing to do with religion, unless it be the ancient religions that worshipped the sun and the moon and celebrated the turn of the year at the Winter Solstice when the seasons begin their long, slow journey back towards the promise of Spring and the harvests of Autumn. A simple wisdom, in tune with the natural world.
I do not, I cannot – I will not – associate it with any other form of mythical gods. For me, it is all about the natural cycle of the seasons, simple and uncomplicated.
And I particularly like the period when Christmas is definitely over, and we’re only just getting into the new year. Everything seems to have this feeling of renewal, which was the whole point of the Yule festival. A time to look forward and plan for the coming year. This will be where the tradition of New Year Resolutions comes from, no doubt.
This year, I shall resolve to try and simplify my life further, and to live more in tune with the natural world.
Love the closing line … “This year, I shall resolve to try and simplify my life further, and to live more in tune with the natural world.” I hope I do so too. Happy New Year Mick, to you and yours.
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Thank you, Rama. And the same to you and your family.
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Wonderful Mick.
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Thanks, Frank.
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I love the feeling of renewal….I totally get recharged
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We certainly need it for the coming year!
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💗
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Lovely post. So agree with you about the seasons and their rightful and natural meaning.
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Thanks, Mary. Thinking of them that way just seems natural to me.
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It sounds like you have had a great festive season, Mick. All the best for 2020.
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Thanks, Robbie. Hope you did too. Happy New Year to you and yours.
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An inspiring and hopeful post, Mick. I love the notion of simplifying life and living more in tune with the natural world. You give me hope for the planet in 2020. Wishing you deep peace and genuine joy in the year ahead.
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Thanks, Donna. All your notions of kindness make me feel much the same. Happy New Year to you.
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Way to be, Mick. Living in harmony with nature is the way to be.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and a lovely New Year.
Also, I started your book and am LOVING it!
Cheers!
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Why, thank you, Pam! And a very happy new year to you, too.
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Happy New Year, Mick! I so agree with your thoughts. All the best🎉
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Thanks, Marina. Happy New Year to you.
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Really good work,
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Thank you!
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I think we’ve already picked up 4 or 5 minutes of daylight since Xmas, “progress in inches, miles to go” 🙂 Happy New Year, Mick, best wishes for the ’20’s.
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Miles to go, yes, but the journey has begun! A very happy New Year to you and yours too, Robert.
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Happy New Year Mick!
Quite in tune with Emerson!
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Happy New Year, Mitali. Emerson? You’ll have to enlighten me…
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Ralph Waldo Emerson… he went back to nature…
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Ah, of course. Thank you.
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Such beautiful words and I couldn’t agree more. You expressed the sense of renewal and yearning to explore things anew so well…
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Thank you. Now I have to stick to my words!
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Happy New Year, Mick!
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Happy New Year, Himanshu!
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A beautiful post, Mick, that so captures my feelings and thoughts about the Winter Solstice and the returning of the light. Ms. Nature planned that perfectly didn’t she? We enjoy celebrating the solstice and the connection it gives us to the earth and the cycles of the seasons. No buds here yet, but soon. Happy New Year.
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Thanks, Diana. Happy New Year to you, too. Yes, it’s the only thing that makes sense, really. And the thought helps to ground me, I think.
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You’re back since 4 days and I had no clue! Happy New Year Mick, hope you enjoyed your break.
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Thank you, Ishaan. Happy New Year to you, too. Yes, the break was refreshing.
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I enjoyed your look into the new year, Mick, with the new growth and extra minutes of daylight. Happy New Year to you.
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Thanks, Jet. And a Happy New Year to you.
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