2014 Too Soon

Lights among the plants

Another way to say “Tempus Fugit”, it seems that we simply flew into the new year, with the holidays as almost a passing thought. I don’t think I’ve ever felt that a Christmas season had ever been as attenuated as this one.

Few seem to have this view, and many are glad to see 2013 behind. For me it was a year of highs and lows and little in between, but mostly a year when things in my life moved forward in the best way possible ( with a just little bit of tripping up).

The whole period was one of unusual cold and snow- all of which are long gone memories right now. We have entered January thaw with as much of a determination as the deep freeze of just a couple weeks ago. All snow is gone and we have had rains and springlike weather the past couple days.

Perhaps the holiday season seemed short since we decorated and got ready on a late timetable. It seems I just put up the decorations and am just now taking them down. Took the porch Christmas lights down today. It was plenty warm, and just last week I wouldn’t go outside- we could hardly keep the house warm!

One event we managed as a family was to go to the light show that is exhibited at Franklin Park Conservatory. We all had so much fun and it was a resounding success enjoyed by each one of us. The artist Bruce Munro is on exhibit with his ingenious way of creating light “sculptures”.  I tried to take good pictures, but I think I was more carried away with having a good time- because my photos are pretty poor. I will post a few here anyway.

Lights often changed colors

Because it was dark, the lights were magical in effect, but there was less of an experience of the plants, so go both at night to see the Bruce Munro exhibit (which ends February 8, 2014), and during the day to get full enjoyment of the many plants and climate displays.

In the theme of 2014 moving in fast forward… it is already time to be planning the coming garden season. I had a very strange mental bend today. I am usually busy looking ahead, but this year the realization that if I live out only the allotted 70 years, there are but nine yet ahead of me. What would be the best use of them if that is all there be?

What is important about my gardening in that time period? I don’t think it is at all the same as when I was thirty. I believe my gardening time is meant to be a peaceful and serene, soul calming recreation now. No tasks to enslave me, or competition with my past years of effect, or even any attempts to “catch up”. No I think it will be full of slower events that are more of the nature of discovery than those of mastery. I think my garden has taught me who is master by this time.

If I had a word for my garden efforts for this year, that word would be “Savor“.

Yes, that seems a good goal, resolution, and plan for 2014: a theme of savoring life, the gardens blessings, and bounty.

a ladder of light

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© 2014 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal by Ilona E. An excellent blog.