Five months since my last message? I was going to claim I’d been on sabbatical, but I’ve used that excuse before. Well… past is past and now is now. It’s time for a winter thaw and new beginnings. “The beginning is the most important part of the work,” Plato said. But I disagree. Repeated re-beginnings like this are even more important.

So… let’s recommence. But with what? Well, first, let’s give credit or blame to my high school friend Jane, who recently got in touch.

This blog helped us get reacquainted. She says she remembers me as artistic and intelligent. I remember her as happy and kind. These are surely just the tips of our respective icebergs of recall, but they make a good start toward exploring our other and more submerged parts.

A couple of things stand out among the events of the fall and winter. My computer failed and then suffered what I judge to be a poor repair job, resulting in the loss of most of my files (photos, projects, graphic designs… you can imagine). Thankfully, I had offloaded some key working files before handing my computer over to the repair shop, so I’ve made a fresh start with those. I still don’t have a backup system. Maybe I like the thrill of being reminded how ephemeral this life is. (Sometimes I wish a tornado would come and do my housecleaning for me. Then I quickly retract that potential invitation.)  Here I am on ice skates during Christmas week, inching around the ring and contemplating my ephemeral life.

Other recent occurrences are accidents, illnesses, and deaths in my own family and my friends’ families. Of course this proximity to death derives from having a large family and many good friends. Deaths are especially poignant for me, since I am convinced of a splendid afterlife for everyone. Even though I’ve felt anguish and loss myself, I find it nearly impossible to say the words, “I’m sorry” when supposedly tragic events happen. I usually offer love, hugs, and prayers instead—prayers for “the best possible outcome.”

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Another happening relates to my “bucket list.” Visiting Machu Picchu, Peru, is a major long-held dream about to come true. I’ve signed on to help staff an eye care clinic in Cusco this summer—and Machu Picchu is just a day trip away. When I was about 20 years old, I saw my first black-and-white photo of the site and felt compelled to visit it some day. Why, I don’t know. It’s time to find out.

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Okay, this message is a start at reconnecting. It’s about time I said “Happy New Year” to all the kindred spirits I bring to mind as I write these posts. May your deepest-held, most cherished dreams come true… or may you realize they already have!  ~ ♥ Jo

P.S. I just discovered a distressing change. I updated the software for my blog and it wants to hyphenate the text like crazy and in odd places. For example, it split the word “There” into “Th—ere”. Ugh! That’s a “new beginning” I’d like to see end.

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Quotation Credit:  “The beginning is…” ~Plato

Photo Credits:
– Jo on skates by Dan Strunk
From morguefile.com:
– Iceberg scenes by larrypharr, snow tulips by bosela, Machu Picchu by kconnors
[All photos modified]