Back to being woken up at 6:30am with a mug of warm lemon water.
Back to blogging before first light in a studio that is definitely not warm and cosy enough.
Back to school for the kids – subdued, anxious preparations.
Back to walking the dogs as the sun rises. A bitter wind, frost underfoot – and this. A glimpse of glory right there.
Back to the reassuring familiarity of my inbox and a notebook full of ideas for new blogs and projects.
Back to my simple yoga flow.
Back to the kids rushing in from school to tell me all about what’s happened in their day.
Back to the dance studio where it all comes back to me and I feel like I am waking up all over again.
Back to the same old, same old.
And yet nothing is the same because I am not the same.
I have changed and so everything has changed. Nothing will ever be the same again.
Small shifts have taken place. Small insights that have make a world of difference.
I’ve come to realise that family is not just about the big occasions. It’s what goes on in the everyday that makes the big occasions possible. So when I saw Helen H at Carols by Candlelight occupying a whole row with her husband and five kids – all laughing and happy to be sharing in this together – what I saw was the hard work that had gone into keeping these relationships healthy and happy all year long.
I’ve come to see that what I eat and drink has a direct correlation with my health – not just physical, but emotional and mental too.
And I’ve learnt to let go. Really let go. Let go of the judgements and harsh words and expectations and manipulation of others and my own negativity and pressure to be more than I am.
And so yes, it’s back to life, back to reality.
But there’s a new dawn out there too.
The glorious new dawn of a wonderful new year.
