Lighter

Today, in this place, the sun rose at 07:17 and will set at 17:30; a whole 10 hours and 13 minutes of daylight. At last, despite the almost constant rain, it feels as if we’re on our way up.

This winter has not been easy, has it? The global horrors gather weight and pace daily, and the darker months here in northern Europe can lower the resilience of the human heart, be that in matters universal or individual. Personally, I hit emotional black ice at Christmas and took a while to steer clear. Then I got the virus that’s floored a good many of us. Joyful. But today, we have those 10 hours and 13 minutes; snowdrops and crocuses are everywhere; there are glimpses of early blossom on hedgerow trees, and I feel a presence above ground in the garden and surrounding fields, where for a while there was just the silence of sleeping spirits. It’s just a beginning, but a beginning that’s powerfully uplifting.

Time spent indoors, deep in thought, has led me to some decisions and realisations. I’ve felt a strong urge to simplify my approach to everything. Pare it all down to an essence, and then make that beautiful without draping it in figurative bells and whistles. I love words, and can so easily get carried away with them (I see you, my Gemini moon) that I have often fallen into ‘style over substance’ territory. I want to stop that. I want to stop having wonderful ideas that I’m incapable of carrying out. That’s the basic plan for 2026 (alien invasion/Godzilla/comet impact permitting).

I wrote a new About page as I was cutting and editing and refreshing. As ever, I’m attempting to rein in my feral attention, and focus on a few precious things - this is my life’s work!

I hope you’re feeling a little lighter too, whatever that looks like for you. I’ll write again when I have something interesting to say; that may be in a week, maybe two or even three. I know your inbox has more than enough to be getting on with, so I’ll sign off on this brief check-in.

May the path rise up to meet you,

Jo
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