Simple Abundances

And now let us welcome the New Year full of things that have never been.

~Rainer Maria Rilke

January, the month of new beginnings and cherished memories, beckons. Come, let winter weave her wondrous spell: cold, crisp, woolen-muffler days, long dark evenings of savory suppers, lively conversations, or solitary joys. Outside the temperature drops as the snow falls softly. All of nature is at peace. We should be, too. Draw hearthside. This is the month to dream, to look forward to the year ahead and the journey within.

I have just begun a journey to read Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy by Sarah Ban Breathnach during 2021. Although the book was written in 1995, it is new to me. The passage above is today’s message. Happy New Year and Welcome 2021! I am looking forward with optimism and hope.

All day yesterday I kept thinking – what shall I wear to our New Year’s Eve festivities in our own dining room. It made me smile, but it also made me nostalgic. Truth be told, Jim and I have not ventured out on NYE in years, but last night felt different because there was truly no place to go. We were visited unexpectedly on our front porch by some neighbors who brought a gift of wine to start the new year. It was a heartwarming, simple abundance that Jim and I very much appreciated. 

When we were raising our children, Jim was always the Uber driver on NYE, back before Uber was a thing. My job was to maintain the home fire, while preparing a special five course meal which we ate between kids’ runs. Last night, Jim and I enjoyed our usual seafood-centric, five-course dinner with a gorgeous view of the Chester River from our new dining room picture window, our Christmas gift to ourselves. Thanks KRM Construction for the amazing simple abundance of a new view on life through a beautiful portal to our spot on the water.

Last night, as we face-timed with our children and watched the ball drop in an empty Times Square, I thought of the simple abundance of love that we are blessed to have in our lives. Love of family, friends, and a black lab pup who turns one on Sunday. Life is full of simple abundances and I am grateful for each of them.

And, today, as I gaze out the new window, I feel great hope and optimism for the coming year. I know that nothing really changed dramatically overnight, except, of course, our mindset. 

Cheers to a new year full of things yet to come!