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Saturday, January 1, 2011

Happy New Year To All

For the past 2 weeks, I have been soaking up every minute of the happiness that is a result of being home for the holidays.  I drove the 1,992 miles from my home to my parents home, accompanied by my dog and my spinning wheel.  It has been such a delightful visit and I have been able to truly relax and recuperate.  The latter part of 2010 has been a difficult and wrenching time for me in many ways, so I needed some recuperation.  I think that the coming year is going to be also difficult to begin with, but I have a strong belief that it is going to be a tremendous year of change.

I am calling 2011 the Year of the Fulfillment of the Dream.  As you travel along with my adventures this year, I believe it shall all become clear why 2011 has been given this auspicious title.

I wish all of you the best of health and comfort in 2011, but most of all I wish you happiness.  Without it, we are all just a shadow of the selves we could be.  Take time to do things you enjoy, things that make your heart sing, things that make the sun shine on a grey and dreary day.  Stop worrying.  (I need to work on that one!)  Worry does not help anything and can actually be counterproductive and cause you far more stress than is needed.  Be kind to others.  Be even kinder to animals.  (Lucky Nickel put that part in!)

Over the holiday, I visited Lawrencetown Beach in Nova Scotia, which is not that far from where my parents live.  It's a lovely beach and somewhere I have often visited in the past.  It was 23 Fahrenheit (-2C) on the day I visited, but I was warm and comfortable.  Maybe it was because I was home.  Maybe it's because I'm just warm all the time.  Anyway, I even went paddling in the ocean.  You know you're a real Canadian when you go paddling in the Atlantic in December, and you enjoy it!
I breathed in the ocean air, faced the wind, and felt the energy of the waves and the wind fill my soul.
I also took time to sit on the rocks, and think about where I have been, where I am now, and where I am going.  It was very therapeutic.
I highly recommend that you all go paddling at least once this year.  

I head back to Iowa tomorrow, and am looking forward to giving Lucky Nickel a big hug when I get home.  No doubt she will have things to blog about when I return!

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

So glad you've had a great holiday! It's amazing what going home can do for the heart and soul. Blessings for 2011!

Teresa

Millie said...

Happy New Year to you and Lucky Nickel and your whole families!

Mare said...

Dear Claire, Happy New Year and a Happy New Start to you my sweet friend...I can totally relate to your post, and i am so happy you are home with your Loved Ones, even if just for a little while. I know you miss them when you are apart. I also just wanted to say, i love you dear friend...mare

Alison said...

Happy New Year to you! How great to hear that you got to spend so much time back home. I can't say that paddling in the ocen at 23F is my idea of a dream vacation, but... ;) Best wishes for achieving all your 2011 goals. And boy, do I hope it lives up to your nickname!

V.L. Locey said...

Happy 2011 to you and your family!

Tiggeriffic said...

It was so good to see that you had posted on your blog.. Tt's so great that you got to go home for a couple of weeks.. I LOVE the ocean so I could of been right there with you.. barefoot and kicking my feet in the surf.. I think the ocean is very teraputic..
Glad you had a great holiday and will be anxious to hear about you and Lucky Nickel again soon.
ta ta for now from Iowa..(Springville)...

Louise said...

Oh, that sounds like the most wonderful of holidays. I'm glad you got the chance to go home, and to reconnect with yourself. A very Happy New Year to you.

Mom L said...

It's really good to hear from you! I knew you were busy soaking up the family love, so wasn't worried. I know how you feel, because that's how I felt with my recent trip to visit Diane in Savannah and my sisters in NC and PA.

I look forward to hearing from you and Lucky Nickel on future posts...

Nancy in Iowa

Nancy K. said...

Talk about a trip worth taking! I'm so glad that you had the opportunity to 'recharge your battery'.

I remember a very difficult time in my life and me telling my young son that things would get better. I knew that they would get worse, before they got better (and shared that with my son as well), but they would get better. And they DID...

Hang in there lady ~ you'll be just fine.

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

You look great out there, I'm always warm too. Looking forward to another year of your blogs.

Anonymous said...

Claire, be safe on your way home. Thank you for sharing the wonderful photos & the You of You. Love, Jennifer

Mom L said...

I just stopped by to say hello to Isobelle the Beautiful Goat and saw the terrific pictures of you with her and her farm mates. It's so good you had a chance to stop! I wanted to stop to see you when I returned from my trip the beginning of Nov., but by the time I was headed back, I was sick! Maybe another time...

Nancy