The last day of 2021

Welcome! I hope you’ve enjoyed a wonderful Christmas break, if you celebrate. If you’re overseas, I hope you got to see family and friends, and didn’t have your plans scuppered by the Omicron variant (what a twist for the end of the year, right?!)

We were down in Hayden’s hometown of Hawke’s Bay for the day itself. We spent a week down there and I didn’t write once…the overwhelm of activity and emotion and family we squeeze into our visits there is not highly conducive to creativity. Best to just roll with the days and find joy in seeing Amelie connect with that side of her family, whom she loves and sees only sporadically.

We are on holiday for another whole week and while rolling with the days would seem to be what a successful holiday demands, I live in fear of that time slipping through our fingers with nothing to show for it. We are at home for this break, because Covid (we don’t have it, thank goodness, but travelling doesn’t feel right for now) and also because of our fortunate location, within a glorious holiday destination yet separate from it, above the fray in our country hideaway – we can engage or escape as necessary –

Yet being at home risks letting our time be absorbed into the daily small commitments and tasks that are necessary, that keep our home the calm refuge it is, and yet which are not important at all in the grand scheme of things. Life cannot be all memory-making and big moments – someone has to make the beds and pull the weeds and order the food – and yet, it can’t be just daily necessities either. Avoiding the flitter of time to actively enjoy a meaningful break that leaves us feeling properly refreshed is not the hands-off relaxing activity that it could be. It takes work to plan to relax.

And so, on this sunny final day of 2021, I will do the work required to allow us to enter 2022 with a sense of discovery, joy, and meaningful activity – a theme I hope continues throughout the year, no matter what it brings. Realistically, it’s probably going to be another strange one, but we will control what we can and make the most of it.

Some other resolutions for 2022:

– I’m going to post a photo today, then I’m going to delete Instagram and Facebook from my phone for at least the next 10 days. After that, we will see, but 10 days off social media is a great gift to give myself.

– I doubt I’ll buy much clothing or shoes – I am unlikely to need a lot – but what I do buy will be expensive and fun, because why not?!

– And of course, I have 8 months left on my 101 in 1001 list to keep me entertained and motivated.

Happy new year!