Winter Solstice! It feels like the earth stops for a couple of days and then begins to turn again. This is a wonderful day to set intentions for the coming year. What fruits are you going to bear next year? What gifts are you going to share with the world? Can you allow yourself to rest and hibernate and then only pick up the things to carry forward into the new year that serve you best?
One of my favorite Winter Solstice Blessings reminds me that this is the sacred pause – the longest night – where darkness is not something to fear, but a place of renewal and remembering.
We can only know light if we can embrace the dark.
This has been a quiet day at home for me. I am still in my pajamas. I had trouble sleeping last night and stayed in bed most of the morning. I watched the Chiefs game and have rested this afternoon. I love the quiet pace of life I have right now. It feels like my body is preparing me for something to come.
Phil worked on the addition today. He is finished except for hanging a safety bar in the shower and a towel bar in the bathroom. Now we need shower doors and this project will be done! The bathroom turned out beautifully. It feels luxurious and is a very welcome addition to this house. The back room is making cooking so much easier for me as I can find what I need so much easier. The laundry room is staying clean as we moved the pet feeding station to the back room.
Next spring I will contact the cement guys and have them pour a sidewalk from the back door to the door of the dog pen. I also will need to paint under the eaves on the back of the addition.
I think the addition was the last thing on my list of things that needed done to this house. I had thought about adding a garage but have decided not to pursue that. We did OK last winter and when the weather is bad we don’t get out anyways. There really isn’t a place to build a garage that makes sense the way the house is situated on these three lots. We would end up walking farther to get into the house than we do now.
It’s the time of year that I start a spending freeze. I do it every new year and play a game with myself to see how long I can go without spending money except for consumables like gas, groceries, medication, etc. Last year I went almost three months. I have a tendency to be impulsive and this little game helps me recognize that and manage it better.
Nothing on my calendar for this week. I may plan a little something on Tuesday but haven’t decided for sure yet. Kathy and I will spend a quiet Christmas Day watching the Chiefs play and eating soup. Jason and Michelle may come join us but we shall see.
I do want to write a year end report for Love In Action and report on the nonprofit status. After the New Year I want to get a meeting on the books with the Captain of the Detention Center and the Chase County Sheriff so we can talk more about the transportation issue. I think I have come up with some solutions and want to share those ideas so we can get that project up and running by spring.
Sitting in a quiet space tonight. Winter Solstice seems to bring a calmness and quiet to the world if one can slow down and tune into it. I relish these quiet days at home where the rhythm is slow and peaceful. Stepping out of the hustle and bustle of the holiday chaos and embracing the quiet. I can feel the energy of the world slowing down and resting. All is well, in all manners of all things, all is well.
Grateful for a quiet day at home, grateful the addition project is all but done, and grateful for Winter Solstice and all the lessons it brings.