All things can be true at once
There is a sweetness to be found in these last days of December. Time slows down as the holidays approach, as winter continues to carve away at the light in the sky and temperatures keep chins close to chest. Ambitions are temporarily shelved and delays to our projects are welcomed, giving us more time to pursue all things warm and comforting.
We are also urged, at this time, to reflect on the year that was. To feel pride for the things we accomplished. To make peace with the disappointments and challenges we faced. And there were plenty of those. In numerology, 2024 is a karmic year, associated with transformation, death, and rebirth. Or put otherwise, it was a year to fuck around and find out.
I know more than a few people who are in no mood to revisit 2024. Bodies and minds worn down by the failures and roadblocks of the last year, by the grief they carry for personal losses and for the increasingly cruel world around us.
If you find yourself in that group, that doesn’t mean you are cursed with bad karma or doomed. A karmic year also indicates a time for truth, when you can no longer look away from what’s lurking in the dark corners, a time for clearing blockages so that you can move forward on your most aligned path, with the people you are most aligned with.
That’s nice for the future, I know, but what to do with all the uncomfortable feelings in the meantime? And more specifically, where to find the energy, inspiration and courage to keep writing when it feels as if no one cares and what’s the point anyway?
Short answer: Just keep going, don’t stop writing.
Medium answer: Let all the emotions, light and dark, exist in your body without trying to negate one or the other. All these emotions, light and dark, can be true at the same time and you are not required to “do” anything with them. Clarity will arrive when it’s time, when all the information has come in. So you may as well lean into the small joys of this transitional season, and allow yourself to be creative and childlike in how you fill your days.
Long answer: I started teaching myself embroidery a month ago on a whim. My issues with needle tension and layering are getting better. The outline stitch for stems and the French knot have seen the greatest improvement, but my satin stitch remains uneven. This isn’t writing, but my brain is still creatively engaged and I can see my progress every day, so it’s hitting the same happy spot in my brain.
For everything I worked on in 2024 that didn’t work, this one side project is positively feeding my sense of joy and making me feel like I’m accomplishing something. I don’t put pressure on myself to be perfect and I look forward to fondly re-examining these first attempts in a year or two. And when I take the kit to my local coffee shop? Never have I had so many curious strangers approach me for a kind chat and a look at what I’m doing. My embroidery posts on Blue Sky have been my most popular ever.
I can be frustrated about how rough this year was and still be delighted every time I finish a petal. It’s all normal, it’s all necessary and it’s all true. And it’s getting increasingly harder to stay sad when I’m having such a nice time overall.
However you’re feeling at this particular time, it may reassure you to know that 2025 is a 9 year, which means it is a time of growth, learning, and transition. Or in other words, movement and completion. So take advantage of these last slow days to take care of your precious self. Eat and sleep and move. Savour the slow while it lasts. There will be much work to lay your eager hands upon soon ♥️