Mindful

Staring deep into the same old void after the first rumblings of the new year: It was the second of January and we decided it was time to take down the Christmas decorations - but in a mindful way, without panic and pain. It is never too soon to act if you get the urge.

The great festival of extravagance, indulgence and general confusion has passed. Both meaningful and meaningless it's the perfect expression of how lost we've all become. There's no way back either. So let's bury it in the past, not that it was particularly bad this year, just a reasonable dose of all the normal Christmasy stuff everybody in our wee world gets on with. 

With a positive mental attitude the mindful hard labour and removal of Christmas tat and tinsel isn't so bad. Our tracks and footprints are silently erased by the incoming tide as we journey on, the pale winter sunlight almost warming those worn and weary hearts.

We breathed in a lot. 

Sang a Joan Baez organising song.

Stopped and considered things.

Got high on a step ladder. 

Exchanged observations.

Untangled the various cables - slowly. 

Breathed out even more. 

Rejoiced that we'd less stuff to put away than last year. 

Unshackled the "real" tree and returned it to the "real" garden in the "real" cold. Just about everything was real it seemed. 

Spread brandy butter on various baked goods. 

I also ate the slightly overage blue cheese.

Used the dustpan rather than a noisy hoover. 

I wore plimsolls.

Maintained the silence of our souls.

Once the boxes were full of all the cables and gnomes, paper and golden stars, baubles and switchgear, they were duly sent off into oblivion until about the 13th of December 2026. Perhaps I'll  join them there.