Light and Shadows

"There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you."

 ~ Maya Angelou in I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

The dance of light and shadow happens in ALL our lives. 

Light illuminates and shadows define.

Together they tell a great story.

I’ve learnt not to question the shadows of the past and not to apportion blame.  

Only idiots drive forward whilst looking in the rearview mirror.

We each  have our own story to tell. 

Mine’s in the present.

And I choose for it to be happy.

Friends and family add to that happiness.

They understand the peculiarities of the person I am and aren’t fazed by it.

Well.

Most of the time they’re not.

Some of the wackiest of individuals are in my corner, 

braving the wild waters with me.

They add their own brand of humour and craziness to the world we inhabit.

Their kaleidoscope swirling in unison with mine.

Both illuminating AND defining it.

This is a good thing.

They lift me up when I’m down.

Give me wings when I struggle to fly

and kick my backside when all else fails.

I find Christmas a difficult time of the year.

Chock full of light and shadows of Christmas past.

As I navigate the treacherous waters this month brings

there’s an overwhelming sense of gratitude.

Gratitude for the steps taken.

Gratitude for the lessons learnt

and gratitude for the those glorious souls 

who illuminate and define my every day.

It’s a cheerful thought indeed!

“I prefer the company of happy people who are believers in magic

... and of magical people who are believers in happy.”

~ courtesy of the Wild Woman Sisterhood

Be weird. Be random.

 BE who you are!

Leaving home in the dark is fast becoming the norm.

As we amble down the road to the beach 

I’m hard pressed to see the chocolate brown hound at my side.

She’s nigh on invisible.

Even with her bright pink collar.

Retrieving balls requires her to listen rather than see.

Bounces can be heard,

even if balls can’t be seen.

Not today though.

Madills Farm was abuzz with people.

Or so it seemed.

In reality there were only a dozen of them but their chatter made it sound like hundreds.

Dodging all the bodies isn't something we’re normally subjected to.

Particularly on dark mornings.

They were all shapes, sizes, vocal levels.

Endless chatter.

So early in the morning.

Weren’t they aware the sun hadn’t risen yet?

We trod a little faster.

The beach was calling.

As was the silence.

Rambles give me time to think.

There’s a simplicity to life at the moment that I’m thoroughly enjoying.

Even when I stumble.

Even when I fall.

I have so much to be thankful for.

Took a walk to visit the little red rowing boat!

With a substantial amount of hard work these last 2 weeks

and a little bit of luck thrown in,

I’m ready to action stage 1 of the phartmobile’s repairs.

It’s a good feeling.

Even the blonde can make a plan when she has to.

It just needed bite-size chunks to make it manageable.

Caught up with a few Pukeko playing in the creek

Despite the inconvenience of not having a car, 

despite having to walk the few kms to work each day,

there’s a calmness inside of me that all will work out as it ought.

“Going back to a simpler life is not a step backwards.”

~ Yvon Chouinard