I like fresh starts. Unknown adventures. Turning points. And I’ve had my share.
Today is the winter solstice (for us Northern Hemispherians). A time of change. When the light advances. When the seasons turn.
HJ post
Little Rituals
The image above is not of me but of a swimming friend named John. His life—at least the part I see at the pool—seems in balance. He starts with a ritual period of relaxation and meditation, and then he dives in to start his swimming workout. Slow and fast. Easy and hard. A miniature life in balance.
And so it is with me.
What a Year So Far
What a year it’s already been as we reach the midway point of 2021—the Summer Solstice! Masks, lockdowns, the VACCINE. While it’s been hard for many to stay focused and productive, I had no problem with that. With fewer distractions, I focused my energies in a few areas…
A Rumbling Peace
The image above encapsulates the competing sensations and feelings I experienced on my recent, annual, winter, solo car trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. There’s the exquisite peacefulness of staying in a remote, ocean-front cottage where I’m surrounded by sand and water. But there’s also a rift in solidity that exists here at the bottom end of a thin ribbon of barrier island that makes up this part of OBX. A rumbling of not only the pounding waves that crash against the pilings of my deck at high tide, but also an exciting tension in my mind as I start to tackle the concepts and themes of my new novel.