First Friday of 2022 Musings
CeCe’s Musings
Musing: adjective: 1. absorbed in thought; meditative
noun: 2. contemplation; reflection (dictionary.com)
The first Friday of the first week of the first month of the year 2022 musings.
Here in the Midwest an extreme cold has descended, a cold with no snow. I prefer the combination of below freezing temps plus a layer of snow, yet we have only seen flurries while parts of the Southeast have inches of the the white stuff. Up is down. Off is on. Hot is cold. Cold is hot. Weird is the new normal.
Yesterday while working at the local food bank, I spent most of the shift trying to focus on expiration dates of donated food. Takeaways? First, I eventually let the young people read the the small, faded dates on the cans and packages. Second, when I donate food, I will always check the dates. Third, I will never donate what I will not eat myself.
Earlier this week I went to my neighborhood bookclub meeting, a group I hadn’t attended in almost two years. I was hesitant about returning, but it was a new book for a new year. Even though there were only four of us, I embraced the face to face interactions and deep conversation we shared in the coffeehouse. Nothing will replace seeing each other in person. It filled my soul, this lively discussion on the book, religion, and family relationships. I will return.
I am grateful to those friends of mine who invite me into their lives, their hearts. One offered me hot tea as I texted her on a cold afternoon walk. I, of course, accepted, and we communed in her cozy kitchen. Another met me for lunch, and we laughed as we both donned our new KN95 masks before entering the establishment - hers black, mine pink (naturally). Over crepes and grilled cheese, we talked about living our lives without fear, the teachings of Eckhart Tolle, and song lyrics we have gotten wrong over the years. Both friends give hope and joy and balance to my life.
My husband and I are trying “Slightly Dry January.” Instead of no alcohol during the month, he proposed the following: No alcohol at home, except if we have dinner guests. We can also imbibe when we go out to eat. Yea! I haven’t had wine since New Year’s Eve; looking forward to visiting a new Italian place tonight and hosting my brother and sister-in-law tomorrow. I am already less cranky.
I will leave with a few quotes from all about love: new visions, a book I finished today. The author bell hooks, an exquisite human who lived and fought for love despite constant hate bombarding our psyches, left this world in December, yet her love lives on through her words.
“We still hope that love will prevail. We still believe in love’s promise.”
“We do not have to love. We choose to love.”
“There can be no love without justice.”
“When we love, we no longer allow our hearts to be held captive by fear.”
“Judging others increases our alienation. When we judge we are less able to forgive”
“The light of love is always in us, no matter how cold the flame. It is always present, waiting for the spark to ignite, waiting for the heart to awaken and call us back to the first memory of being the life force inside a dark place waiting to be born - waiting to see the light.”
Speaking of light, our plain twinkle light tree is still up. Not sure when it will return to its box, but for now, Finn is delighted.