Looking back towards the Rio Grande Reservoir and Simpson Mountain
And so begins another long cold winter. It comes and will go too quickly. I wish this one to linger. I am in no rush. There is much to be done. I need the time of winter to complete it all. If it is ever possible to complete it all… This year, more than ever, I hope for summer to come later, to allow me time to do all that needs to be done before then.
In the darkness of winter, we are allowed to start slow, to start with the inside work, the work inside of us. We make plans.
From where we began. To where we are going.
A year ago today I began this blog. I didn’t quite know what a blog was then. I’m still not sure I know. It is quite odd, I think. Over 50,000 visits ago and how many words have I written? Too many, some will say. And I will laugh and wonder why you are still reading.
I have always wondered.
But I am grateful. Very grateful. Words are like pictures and meant to be shared. I try to share what I see. There is little else I say, little else that matters. My life is simple. The mountains are rich.
Grateful. I have found neighbors. Farther than I expected. Texas, New Hampshire. Oregon. As far away as Britain, Poland, Australia, South Africa. Those closer to home often remain the most distant. A sense of security in remaining anonymous.
I am still a stranger and leave questions unanswered. Most of you remain hidden behind your blue screen.
Grateful for what was, longing for what will be. And doing my best to appreciate every day.
Now my life begins to change. Excitement and anticipation within. Some days I have that feeling of being on a roller coaster inside me, atop a swell and ready to fly down, my stomach tightens with tension and expectancy, yet I do no more than work and walk on this quiet mountain.
Each day a new work, a new life unfolds before my eyes. Slowly. So slowly change is coming. The metamorphosis takes longer than my patience has allowed but of course I still endure. My cocoon has finally ripened. I begin to break free. Into what colors shapes and patters I am allowed to choose. The world is brilliant before me. It always has been.
What cloak may I adorn now? This next year will not be the same as the last. Each year should always find us evolving. If we cling to the past, if we remain stationary; we sink into the depths of mud beneath stagnant waters. We are all so scared of change, of moving on, of seeing what lies beyond the next bend in the road. Yet we know we must let go to get anywhere. We hold onto the past as we hold onto a place, and think we find who we are there, our point and our purpose. Shallow visions, shallow words. With only the mountain in view. Not our lives, our selves, the bigger picture if we dare to open our eyes and truly see. It is blinding, dazzling! Beauty is found everywhere if we begin by finding it within.
I long for a better life, and will find a better mountain. Better for me, my husband, my son, my animals, my life, my loves. This year our quest and journey unfolds. It is not a plush red carpet laid out before us, but one we must paint as we go along. It will be one we create, we sculpt with the rock and earth on which we stand here and where we are going.
A work of art, each of our lives. A work in progress. We must be bold enough to see what is not yet there, and work to build it. We must be crazy enough to dream, and brave enough to try. We must endeavor to make our dreams come true. What do we have to lose?
Our dreams.
I intend to dream.
And so to my friends and strangers alike, I wish you all a warm, safe and enjoyable New Year’s celebration. I’m going to figure you too will be dreaming, planning, looking at the year ahead and wondering what you will choose to make of it. I hope you will make it wonderful!
I’ll see you all here again after the first of the New Year. Hopefully. Gratefully.
Warmly,
Gin