“I didn’t do a lot this Holiday Season,” when asked. I was off work for 10 days and I had large blocks of time with no plans. Yay! I looked forward to a break from the hustle.

I kinda hustled on December 27th when I connected with others with an early morning phone call from a friend in NS, breakfast with Bob (my partner) and a couple, coffee with another couple and a Zoom call with a friend from ON in late afternoon. We all felt festive.

Otherwise, each day had no commitments or simply one. Like one day Bob and I drove to the countryside. Another day, I met up with a friend whom I hadn’t seen in ages. And I met with my Spiritual Teacher one afternoon. I sipped cups of tea in-between the hours of activities while doing nothing! Imagine that! Gone are the days of over-committing and rushing around.

Mostly, I had slow mornings and lots of time to reflect, rest and write. Reflecting on the previous year and identifying aspirations for the coming year is what I do over the Holidays and will clarify them in the first few of weeks in January. It’s a practice I’ve done for decades. My word for the year is “intuition”; knowing it better and using it.

Life is great! It’s better than it’s ever been. I’m excited about 2025!

First things first, I want to address the proverbial elephant in the room before I go into the why fors of my joy. I’m greatly frightened by the political landscape in AB and in the US. There lacks empathy. Policies are likely to wreck further havoc on people’s sense of security and quality of life. Not ease them. Here we are. I am flabbergasted how people can “ Vote against their own best interests…”as Bob would say. Or as Gloria Steinhem said famously, “…the personal is political…”. Admittedly, I compartmentalize these two in order to prevent becoming chronically depressed and fearful. And that takes energy. To be clear, my social activism is alive and well; I’m focussed on being most effective. This includes being in community with others who are like-minded during these darkening times.

On a personal level I am hopeful; I’m referring to my spiritual, mental, emotional and physical aspects. Of course, one cannot see everything that’s coming down the pipe; however, what’s in view is lovely. I feel serene in my relationships, intimate and otherwise, at my workplace and with the balance between work, play and rest. I am grateful to be eligible for OAS in June. How did that happen?

I started working as a teenager. I worked as a babysitter, sold all occasion cards door to door and mowed the neighbour’s lawn. After that I worked in retail, as a life guard, a receptionist, an office worker, a sales rep., a researcher and a letter carrier. In my 30’s, I became a cabinetmaker/finishing carpenter in residential construction, teaching, building theatre sets and now building custom boxes. I’m grateful for the plethora of experiences I had during my apprenticeship with my Mentor and friend. Looking back, I’m proud of the trajectory of my career in the trades. At times, I didn’t feel that way when, at every turn, I faced adversity. What kept me going was that I enjoyed learning.

This year, I hope to write more blog entries and poetry. I don’t think what I have to say is all that important. Simply put, writing helps me make sense of my world and it helps my communication skills; English is my second language. Of course, I hope my writing might be of some help to others. I wrote regularly, thanks largely to my writing companion from Vancouver Island. We meet on Zoom to share our work every month. I SO enjoy hearing her read her work. It’s helpful with editing to read my piece aloud. And it inspires me to get constructive feedback. I also want to put my photography back on the front burner. I’m on Instagram; but I haven’t posted much this past year.

Another Holiday tradition is spending Christmas Eve with family. This year was planned around our great-niece’s nap time and bed time. Rightly so. She’s the newest member at 1-1/2. She is a happy child and adorable as can be. She sleeps well and eats well, too. Her parents remind me that she does have her moments. I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon with her and her Grandmother looking at Christmas lights. The little one walked on her own or in between us holding our hands. Of course, I brought my Nikon to take a few photos of this little human who was captivated by the light displays. It’s a joy watching her grow. I aim to cultivate looking at life through a child’s eyes.

Over the Holidays, Bob and I spent time walking and skating outdoors. The fresh air and movement was welcomed after devouring holiday eats and treats. Increasing the amount of exercise I do in 2025 is a must. “Motion is lotion”, my yoga instructor used to say. That’s a good mantra.

I said earlier that I was content with all my relationships. There were a few that slipped through the cracks last year. Hopefully, if the feeling is mutual, we can spend more time together in 2025. My relationships are now all reciprocal. Consequently, I have more energy. An inverse relationship to my aging. Go figure! So long as I’m mindful that I need to balance my people-time with alone-time. After all, I am an introvert who also likes to socialize.

My Spiritual Teacher and I meet monthly so I remain accountable. We keep tabs of where I’m at and where I’m being drawn to go. She is incredibly helpful. She is a Mentor and a friend. As is the nature of our shares. We clarified my aspirations for the coming year which including powering my decisions, at the end of December.

I believe 2025 will be a year of “field work” as my Teacher would say, perhaps to prepare me for retirement. I love working 4 days a week, and as long as they’ll have me, I plan on working for a while yet. I will continue to explore activities that excite me hence my photography and writing. I will endeavour to listen more to my intuition when it gives me the heads up to connect with someone or do something new. Until then, I’m quite happy with the status quo.

I’m grateful for the people who are in my life. They mean the world to me. I’m also grateful for my immediate family. Each is doing their level best to engage with others in their respective spheres. I recently visited my mother in Ontario where she lives. My brother lives in the US; I miss him; we haven’t seen each other in years. I’m very glad that we are speaking over the phone weekly.

So…that’s a wrap on 2024 and my aspirations for 2025.

I wish you time for reflection, rest and activities not just during the Holiday times but also at intervals in the coming weeks as this new year unfolds.

Wishing you all the best, in all ways,

~Barbara