January

This year has not started the way I anticipated. Beginning on Christmas Eve and lasting until mid-January our household was affected by a wave a sickness. Nothing too serious, but enough to warrant visits to the doctors, prescription medication and lots of rest. It quashed some loosely discussed plans of travel and resulted in a lot more time spent at home than I expected…

In the beginning I’d hoped it’d all pass quickly, but as the weeks went by and Paul, Adam and myself all came down with various ailments (from stomach upsets, to chest infections, dermatitis breakouts and strep-throat) I came to accept this summer wouldn’t run as I’d envisioned. At first I was a little cranky about the whole situation, resentful that things would be different to how I imagined. Eventually though I settled into the slower pace of life.

I finished the two books that’d been languishing on my bedside table for months (new book recommendations gladly received); I pottered in the garden, weeding and dead-heading spent blooms; I organised cupboards, edited my wardrobe, tried new recipes and caught up with old friends. In the end, I think it was actually just the tonic I needed after a rather busy 2022 and ahead of what I’m expecting to be another slightly chaotic year.

In fact, January’s set in motion a desire to incorporate more quiet moments into the next 11 months. Instead of the lofty projects of the last few years, (having a baby, building a new house), I’m aiming to work on some smaller goals: saying ‘yes’ more often, reading daily, taking lunch-breaks when I’m at work, and exercising more. I don’t want to label them as new-year resolutions, rather just little things I want to be more mindful of and remember to do when the weeks churn on by with the humdrum of daily life.

Our household seems to have recovered well, and I’m hoping this prolonged period of being under the weather will mean we get a good few weeks (could I even hope for months!) without too many visits to our family GP. So here’s to new beginnings, healthy living and another year of taking the time to reflect monthly.

Have a wonderful few weeks, I’ll catch you next month.

M. x