Sunday, December 29, 2024

Two days and counting to this year’s ending and another’s beginning.

I am starting to wrestle with the value of New Year’s resolutions. Should I formalize my key reflections on the year ahead by committing them to paper?

I am always looking forward, casually planning, and mentally preparing for what might come next. Yet, solidifying my floating notions and aspirations into concrete, written goals feels strangely daunting.

Practical matters aren’t making me pause. Caring for my horses, Pimmy the donkey, and my dogs are clear responsibilities with measurable goals. My biggest challenges are grappling with the unknowns: the unpredictable economic landscape’s potential impact on my life, the logical best ways of pursuing my more whimsical dreams, and mostly, identifying a wise path toward the future I wish for and the steps to take.

Maybe concerns are making me pause. There’s a weight of expectations that could inhibit achieving formal resolutions. By defining goals too rigidly, their possibilities might be limited. On the other hand, I could feel wonderfully liberated by articulating my aspirations, giving them shape and form.

As this year ends, I’m struggling with the delicate balance of perceiving ways to embrace the unknown and chart a doable course toward the future.

Dear Friends: Goal setting means dancing between serendipity and intention. Diana

Saturday, December 28, 2024

Yesterday, a day off from my part-time work became an adventure thanks to my kind and energetic friend Susie. With her impressive strength, we tackled the long-overdue task of clearing away an unappealing pile of heavy items stacked outside for too long. We loaded them into my trailer and made a satisfying trip to the dump. Thus, reclaimed order from clutter!

But our day didn’t end there. That evening, we joined her husband, Dale, to gather inside their authentic teepee. The cozy space with a blazing wood fire warmed us as rain drummed rhythmically on the canvas overhead. We feasted on delicious takeout, savored a pleasant bottle of wine, and shared stories and thoughts into the night. I’ll cherish our blend of camaraderie, warmth, and connection for a long time.

Today, I’m back at the bustling department store and in trusty running shoes for a long shift. The post-Christmas rush is in full swing. Many customers are eager to exchange gifts for different sizes or return those that missed the mark. It’ll be a whirlwind of activity, all rustling receipts and shopping bags.

There will be a day of energy and a shared sense of purpose in helping people find more closely what they need (or return what they don’t!). For all that, I am about to lace up my most comfortable shoes and dive headfirst into the fray.

Dear Friends: My coffee and bread are welcoming this #3 day of more daylight. Diana

Friday, December 27, 2024

As today dawns, one of my hands holds a cup of hot coffee, and my other has a chunk of (homemade) dark bread with a sweet butter slather (both about to disappear). Something missing to improve this pleasant moment is a higher outside temperature. I could perch on the small eastside deck and sip this coffee while appreciating the sunrise.

In writing this, I’m struck by how close we are to nature. I’m thinking about how, even within the confines of my home, the simple act of savoring coffee and bread connects me to the larger natural world. There’s the wheat that nourishes my bread, the bees that pollinate flowers and create my sweetener, and the cows that provide the milk for my butter. All the natural world elements intertwine and create nourishment and contentment moments.

I feel gratitude as this quiet morning’s steam rises from my cup. To put a finger more squarely on it, I am thankful for the intricate web of life that sustains us all. I might dream of sitting outside, warm and sun-sighting, but “inside moments” like these inspire me equally. It’s because of Nature’s multiple and continuous “simple gifts” that assure and comfort us all.

Dear Friends: Here’s a coffee cup salute to y’all! Diana

Wednesday, December 25, 2024

Finally, it’s here: Merry Christmas, everyone!

Central Oregon’s pre-Christmas weather was nearly perfect. Yesterday, our temperatures stayed around 40 degrees. There were occasional light rains but no winds.

Mostly, I enjoyed being outside, except that near the barn, lots of sloppy mud covered the chicken coop and horse areas. The mud made for slippery footing, and I managed to navigate and stay upright by dragging my feet. I did lots of mud-skiing through the slush while feeding the outside animals.

Later, it got colder, and by the time I ventured outside to provide final feedings, the ground was slippery with black ice that challenged my boots. Shoot, I’ll take slushy mud any day over black ice. Experience teaches that black ice isn’t always visible, and not noticing introduces a high likelihood of slipping and falling hard.

This Christmas Morning, the frosty local Central Oregon’s western mountains are heavily snow-covered. At this moment, a lovely dawning in the eastern sky hints at a beautiful day ahead.

Dear Friends: Have a wonderful day, and we will meet again on the other side. Diana

Sunday, December 22, 2024

Daylights are starting to lengthen, and we can start seeing that happening shortly into January. Annual transitions into longer-lasting natural light excite the outdoorsy types and those who feed large animals routinely.

Each winter, I re-experience the discomfort of having to navigate among large animals in darkness while depending on an often inadequate, uncomfortable headlamp.

I say, “Come on, longer daylights!”

Would it be correct to refer to today as this year’s pluperfect shortest day?

Dear Friends: I must be at work early and fiddle later for an answer. Diana

Saturday, December 21, 2024

The Winter Solstice arrives today, bringing this year’s shortest day and its longest night. This is a period of darkness that encourages lots of anticipation. We’re doing that in our journey toward next Wednesday, a day that brings the festive cheers of Christmas and the First Day of Hanukkah; those offer light and warmth to the wintery world shrouded in shadows.

We can feel more optimistic while anticipating traditional events and the arrival of a new year. Those increase our hope and our sense of brighter days ahead. Soon, just a week or two after New Year’s Day, we will notice a subtle lengthening of daylight hours.

And so, we embrace deep winter’s festive moments, the recurring traditions and celebrations that offer solace and joy during this stretch of stingy sunlight. This year-end comforting pattern carries us through the darkest days; it gives us hope and promise for the new year.

Dear Friends: Our deep-winter traditions are warming despite the freezing chill. Diana