Beauty in the Ordinary

This is not about being brilliant, or extraordinary, it's not about wanting to be famous, or making headlines, or trying to impress...this about sharing a 'gift' each day with the world...to lift the spirit of people when they read this blog, to show them the beauty in the ordinary.
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Raold Dahl

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Being True To Me...


Sitting in foggy south Florida this morning with temperatures hovering in the low 70s as dawn breaks.


We came to spend Christmas as a family and to take a brief respite from our northern life.  It's been a wonderful stay full of love and fun and laughter, but as always when I come to this part of the world in Winter, I loose contact with the rhythm of the seasons.  It blurs my consciousness and makes me fuzzy-headed to be in soft temperatures in January.  Part of me still, after all these years, is bound to the romance of the cold and dark of winter.  I find myself craving a different kind of morning mist, one where I lash on heavy boots and walk, inhaling the smell of peaty, wet earth.

I think it wonderful that friends here love being warm all the time.  Their personalities shrivel and reduce when they are faced with strong biting winds and fierce lashing rain. They have found a place where their hearts soar.  But this is not for me.  I long now for a roaring fire and to listen to soft snow falling.

I have spent my time here, have held my children and refilled that bottomless cup, if only temporarily.  Now it is time to go home, to return to the climate that permits my breath to flow evenly and calmly.  To wash my sun-scorched eyes with scenery that glows in the overwhelming beauty of nature temporarily gone to ground, silently restoring itself in preparation of impending Spring.




19 comments:

  1. To live in a changeable climate keeps us alert and gives opportunity for hope. Safe trip home, Jacqueline.

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    1. ...and I think that is the nub of it Mise. Here I feel as if time is somehow suspended.

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  2. Beautifully written, Jacqueline. It almost made me want to embrace this cold winter- then I put my head out the door and the freezing air and wind smacked me in the face.

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  3. Replies
    1. Thank you John. Sometimes the words have a will of their own.

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  4. Wonderful that you have found and enjoy the beauty in all the Mother Nature has to offer us. Enjoy!

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    1. At the end of the day Katherine, it really is a choice...there is always beauty, we just have to choose to focus on it.

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  5. I enjoy our two-country lifestyle with the contrast in culture and climate, but I'm happier in a temperate climate so long as it's not relentless gloom and rain! I hope you see some snowdrops soon - I'm waiting for ours to appear here in the UK. Have a good rest of the week!

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    1. snowdrops are a few months off yet Linda - but nothing wrong with hoping! LOL!

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  6. To truly appreciate what you have and value, sometimes you must take a break from it to gain perspective and fall in love all over again.

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    1. wise words othello - nothing like a little absence to make the heart grow fonder.

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  7. Isn't it marvelous that at some point we can just say what suits us best and not have to justify or really explain why? Your writing made safe space for everyone to hold dear what feels best. Love it. As always.

    ps. Several days ago when I was reading your blog the little drizzles of magic did not flow from my cursor! But they are back today. All is well. ALWAYS.

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    1. HA...wish I could say I knew exactly how to control those sparkles...they seem to come and go of their own free will!
      Yes indeed, to each his own, a lesson I learned this weekend while having a conversation with friends who have just applied for their concealed weapons carry-permits - I don't get it, but then again, I don't have to - not part of my reality.

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  8. Life without seasons would be tedious, but could we make winter just a little bit shorter?

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  9. Beautifully written, Jacqueline....I 'm with you! January finds me introspective, languishing indoors preparing for the busy months ahead, mentally and physically! I love winter in Canada, and like Cro, would shortened it up somewhat! N.xo

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    1. Agreed Nella...sometimes Old Man Winter can outstay his welcome...but for right now, I'm very happy to be heading back to cooler climes.
      I've lived in countries where, upon waking, the first question one asked oneself was "...and which season is this?"...tends to confuse a body!

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  10. I completely understand. I live in CA--not by choice but by circumstance--and I so long to be able to experience the seasons as they are meant to be experienced. Many around me think I'm crazy. They can't understand my fascination for a rainstorm or a cloudy sky or a blustery wind.

    I just recently stumbled on your blog and wanted to say hello. By the way, that wooden baguette tray in your sidebar is to die for.

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