Another Trip Around the Sun

The earth takes a year to orbit the sun.  We could mark that journey at any time.  Many in the past used the winter solstice - the transition from days growing shorter to days beginning to lengthen - as their marker.  For some reason we now do it about 10 days later, an arbitrary but well entrenched date to mark the passage of another year.  I'd support going back to the solstice - I like that it's a date that is connected directly to the physical universe that you can measure reliably if you carefully arrange some large rocks.

The past week and a half have been busy with travel, by both auto and air, visiting with family of all generations, lots of food and gifts.  I especially enjoyed playing with the six grandchildren and how well the cousins get along.  It seems well worth the effort that the parents are making to stay connected and foster another generation of family relationships, even though the families are far apart.

I didn't write any Mindful Day posts during this time.  I have lots of notes that are fodder for future posts, but while there was a lot to absorb, I didn't feel the degree of conclusiveness about ideas and experiences that I need to write a post.  I decided it was better to just let things simmer.

While in Oklahoma I had some nice views of Orion and the surrounding sky - the constellation Gemini,  planet Jupiter, stars Sirius and Aldebaran, and the Hyades and Pleiades star clusters.  I've seen them enough now to have them well patterned in my brain.  I had one last look at them last night near the end of a long drive from western Illinois to the D.C. suburbs as the highway turned up South Mountain.

The sky in the plains, with views from one horizon to the other, is extraordinarily beautiful - whether filled with clouds and light during the day, or with stars at night.  I remember mother remarking about that.  She appreciated mountains, forests and lakes, but saw the sky of the plains as equally scenic and full of beauty.

A lot of good things happened this year.  I expanded my horizons in several directions - cooking and wine explorations, yoga teacher training, beginning to learn the stars and constellations, journaling about remembered dreams, reading Joseph Campbell on mythology, and learning how to be more productive and content.

I expect the coming year will bring continued progress in all of those things, as well as some new surprises.  Keeping up with the growing family will be challenging, and fun too.   Each day will bring a new opportunity to be mindful and live the life that is here and now - the only one I get.  All in all, it's a rich and wonderful life.