Tag: 2020

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My Book of Walks

2020 was the year of walking, for so many people. People streamed by my house with kids or dogs. There were memes and jokes on social media about dogs hiding from their owners who were wanting to go on yet another walk. An idea sprang up for people to put teddy bears in their windows for kids to count as they passed by–a Teddy Bear Hunt. I put some of my bears in the living room window, too. People decorated their windows, doors or yards in ways that would be fun for passersby. It felt very communal.

I was one of those walkers, too, since I was already walking with my dogs every day, and I loved seeing all the cheerful messages around the neighborhood, greeting new people with their dogs, observing the ways people kept their houses and yards, checking out all the Little Libraries in my area. I love walking anyway, and I’ve been at it still. Some of those walks have been with both of my dogs, with just Miles, by myself, or with a friend.

On my birthday last year I started keeping a book of my daily walks. I had a blank book that had belonged to a friend who died. Since it has French words on the cover, I had assumed she bought it in Paris. And in my typical way, I imagined some Romantic meaning (mai oui! because it’s French) but when I looked up Mon Carnet De Poche I found it just means My Pocket Notebook. Oh well. C’est la vie.

So each day I put down the date and write a little something about the walk–who I was with, where we went, who we met (including any dog’s name that we learned), what I saw, what the morning was like. It has resulted in me speaking to people I see and asking their names, which is nice. And I started picking up little bits of thing that I’d see–leaves, flower petals, things like that–and I tape them into the book. It is now a year later and the book is fatter (me, too, despite the walking) and full of lots of little bits of thing. And with pages to go! It has been a fun little project that I will likely stop when there are no pages left.

One of my friends’ houses that Miles always likes to go visit

I always have some kind of record-keeping thing like this to add to my routines and make life just a little more interesting. I imagine I’ll think of something else to keep track of, write down, or collect when I’m finished with this. What about you?

“Now shall I walk or shall I ride?

‘Ride,’ Pleasure said;

‘Walk,’ Joy replied.”

― W.H. Davies

“But the beauty is in the walking — we are betrayed by destinations.”

― Gwyn Thomas

If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. And if you enjoy these letters, feel free to forward this one to anyone you think might like it. Finally, you’ll find past letters and poems here.

Thanks for listening,
Kay

P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”

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A Bright New Year

I know that many people are anxious to put 2020 behind them. But I never want to trash a whole year–and aren’t there always good things about any year you’ve lived through? I’ll just answer for you–yes. Even so, I do love celebrating the start of a new one.

A new year offers the chance to make grand plans, set good intentions and move forward. To be the best version of yourself. To embrace the perfect, true Self that Deepak Chopra says we all possess, that can never be altered or broken. January, set in the cold dark winter, is, for me, energizing and full of promise.

“And now let us believe in a long year that is given to us, new, untouched, full of things that have never been.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

So first, on New Year’s Eve I like to consider what I want to leave behind before starting a new year. These have to be things that I have the power to leave behind, like my attitude about something, a habit or way of thinking that doesn’t serve me well, or hurts and slights that I haven’t let go of. Sometimes I write them on pieces of paper and burn them, for good measure.

And then on New Year’s Day I write New Year’s Resolutions. Always. This year I’m going to take one thing I’ve learned from 2020 and build on it. Let’s all do it!

Pick out one particular difficulty, one frailty you’ve struggled with, one aspect of the year that was particularly trying. Then use it as a new way of seeing who you are, a discovery, or a new direction. And instead of hoping to be rid of it, how about embracing it and making it your biggest ally in 2021? If you struggled with loneliness, for example, you could see that as your capacity for loving people. This is a strength. Make it a goal to connect with people in new ways, whether you can be with them or not. Celebrate this gift–your love of others–and connect in creative, new, original ways.

“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”

Mary Oliver

This card, Life Well Lived, expresses a wish I have for all of us.

If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. And if you like this letter, you’ll find past letters and poems here.

It’s nice for me to think of you out there, reading this. I know that your one difficulty will turn out to be a great strength in 2021.

Thanks for listening,
Kay

P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”

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Merry Christmas!

Some years I write and design a Christmas card that’s just for friends and family, one that expresses my thoughts about the year. I did that in 2007, after I’d had a bad auto accident, broken my neck and somehow escaped paralysis. I felt incredibly lucky!

This year, like that one, calls for a special card. I have again been lucky. I’ve lost no loved one to the virus. At the outset I thought such a loss was a given. Instead, I’ve gained some wonderful things from this difficult year. I’ve reassessed many things, made some changes that have been fulfilling. I’ve learned more about who and what means most to me. I hope you have, too, amid the pain and difficulty. I hope you, too, have discovered some energizing change this year.

So here we are–it’s Christmas Eve. I have fond memories of buying Christmas trees from the Optimist Club. One of the first years I was on my own with my three small boys, I was feeling less-than because our little family included just me and my boys. But a very kind older gentleman who’d helped us with the tree said to me, “You sure have a nice family.” It was just what I needed to hear and he probably had no idea what it meant to me. I’ve never forgotten that. He made the Optimists our Christmas tradition.

This year there was, apparently, a tree shortage. At the Optimist lot, I found the gates locked and not a stick of anything inside. Crestfallen, I ended up getting a scrawny Fraser Fir at the hardware store. It is so skinny and sparse I can pick it up with one hand and I swear I could carry it around all day while playing pickleball, cleaning house, walking the dogs, and baking cookies. 🙂

But now that it’s full of lights and decorations, I’d say it’s a perfectly lovely tree. Our own Charlie Brown tree for a nice cozy Christmas. My son, our two dogs, and me. I hope your Christmas is just as cozy.

“Three things in human life are important: the first is to be kind; the second is to be kind; and the third is to be kind.”

― Henry James

If you’re looking for my cards or art, you’ll find all of that on my website. And if you like this letter, you’ll find past letters and poems right here.

It’s nice for me to think of you out there, reading this. I hope your holidays are filled with renewal and hope, merriment and laughter.

Thanks for listening,
Kay

P.S. MerryThoughts is the name of my first book, out of print at the moment. The word is a British one, referring both to a wishbone and to the ritual of breaking the wishbone with the intention of either having a wish granted or being the one who marries first, thus the “merry thoughts.”