Tuesday 1 January 2013

A New Year’s Wish

Dear Friends,

After weeks of rain I woke up this morning, the first of the new year, to a very fierce sun streaming through the curtains, the kind of sun which promises much but rarely lasts. Whether it does or doesn’t shall not be my greatest concern. Here is my first wish: I will enjoy it while it lasts.

After weeks of compulsive excess, overeating, drinking more than is advisable, grabbing another chocolate and another biscuit, weeks of large meals, just because ‘tradition’ demands it, the time has come to slow down, taste the small pleasures of an occasional chocolate, savour a glass of wine and stop eating before I feel bloated and uncomfortable. My second wish: I will rediscover moderation.

The current festive season brought with it fewer social gatherings than ever before. There was a time when I would have felt slighted, when not being part of the social whirl would have been keenly felt; not this year. Whatever the reason for fewer invitations, I have not missed the overcrowded rooms, the noise and sheer boredom of chitchat and small talk endlessly repeated. For my third wish I hope to remember to appreciate true friendship instead of empty social obligations.

These days my life is like a clear and peaceful stream; it wasn’t always like that and there were times when I was in danger of being swept away by troubled waters and the turmoil of battle; I thank providence for the great change in my fortunes and sincerely wish that I remind myself of the hard times whenever I feel tempted to bewail the uniformity of life as it is.

Having been a little 'under the weather' both metaphorically and physically, and therefore confined to my four walls for most of the time, with the exception of quick dashes out for Millie’s sake, my mood has been less than sunny; irritation, annoyance and depression have occasionally been part of the general atmosphere. Beloved, being nearest  in the line of fire, bore the brunt of my foul temper. We always made up, of course, but my fifth wish is to learn to curb my temper and certainly not lash out at the one person without whom my life would be a very sad affair.

Everyday life is a mixed business, we cannot have everything we want and it behoves us to be satisfied with what we have and accept what we cannot change. I’ve tried moaning and complaining, it made not a jot of difference. Fate turns the wheel whether we laugh or cry; besides, I would get bored with endless sunshine and a permanent full moon in the sky. We none of us know what fate has in store for us, but one thing is certain, the curtain must and will come down. My last wish is therefore to live every day in the full awareness of the finality of existence, take each day’s lesson to the next, take pleasure when and where it’s offered, and accept that even the rain has a rightful place in the scheme of things.

Happy New Year






57 comments:

  1. Six wonderful wishes that I could have written myself, had I been as talented as you are at putting my thoughts to the page. Thank you for these reminders. I am especially mindful of that last one; my only other wish is that I could keep this thought first in my mind, every day. Happy New Year, Friko! You are a treasure.

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  2. These wishes are what I needed to read this morning, and I thank you, Friko. On we go, into a New Year.

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  3. i really like the 6 things you carry with you into the new year...they are wise....and keep us in the now as well....might have to print this out and keep it close to remind me....happy new year....

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  4. Beautiful sentiments, Friko. I hope the six move from the state of wishes to the realm of intentions - when realized they certainly have the power to remove a lot of inner suffering. Happy 2013 to you and your Beloved.

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  5. Insightful and well said, Friko. Keep those resolutions, even if you slip up from time to time. Happy, Happy New Year to you and your family.

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  6. wij wensen jullie al het goede maar vooral gezondheid toe. cobie en bas.

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  7. Such a wonderful post, dear Friko. Wishing you a fabulous first and a lovely new year.

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  8. Dear Friko,
    A wonderful post. May all your wishes come true this year. And next year and all the following years of which there hopefully will be lots and lots and then some more.
    Happy New Year to you and yours.

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  9. Well stated! Such a reflective time of year - and my wish for you and your Beloved is more sun filled days & enjoying the companionship of Millie.
    We found on my husband's retirement that those empty & meaningless "social obligations" were a thing of the past & have never been missed. A treat indeed to have time for oneself enjoying the days on our own terms.

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  10. oh that was well and truly said! many times the one difference between a thing being good or bad is our attitude towards it. i try to live my life in the moment but always knowing it won't last. things change, the wheel turns and that is as it should be.

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  11. Happy New Year to you and yours, Friko!
    Very wise wishes, and I hope they will all come true for you.

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  12. I saw myself in many of your observances. Hopefully we can go into the New Year refreshed with the thoughts of change.We don't know what's ahead...so let's welcome the mystery of this brand new year with open minds and hearts.

    Happy New Year.
    Balisha

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  13. My husband's long illness made us aware that we needed to seize the moment...and we have! We do what we want, not what is expected of us, and are throughly selfish with our time...we don't know when being together will end so we make the most of it - with a few squalls on the way.

    You'll have a wonderful year if you manage to keep your wishes in mind!

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  14. Gosh, those wishes would suit me pretty well, too. I don't have someone here to take out my anger against, so that one is perhaps reworded something like .... I wish I will always let my anger go into the atmosphere where it will die a silent death, rather than release any part of it on other people or my lovely 4-legged companions.

    There! Done!

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  15. Friko, I am so thankful that, this year, we had good fortune to share. The dark clouds that go before do accentuate our pleasure in the sunshine. The rain makes the garden grow, even if it's mostly mushrooms just now. May 2013 be all you wish for and more.

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  16. Words to live by, One Day at a Time. Dianne

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  17. As it is said, from the middle English hearen – “hear, hear” to your post.
    And that all you wishes be granted.

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  18. Your words drive home the importance of living each day to the full. I love this post. I'm going to print it out and put it in my journal. Really wonderful intentions.

    How simply lovely that the sun shone for you on the first day of 2013. Perhaps an omen of a sunny year ahead.

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  19. Friko, morning sunlight can provide a natural welcome as we begin our days. It sometimes seem that our weather patterns here often have a darkly rainy day clearing just before sunset. I often think of that as the sun having a little giggle.

    I smiled at some of your wishes, and nodded approvals as well.

    May I now wish you and yours a very Happy 2013, with time for reflection, joy, and please...lots of writing that you will share with us. xo

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  20. This post is beautiful and thought-provoking, Friko. Your wishes are absolutely the best possible -- and I think I'm going to adopt all of them and apply them to my life, too! Thanks for the inspiration and may this be a very Happy New Year!

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  21. Wonderful reading Friko, your wishes have made me mindful. New Year blessings to you and yours.

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  22. True friendship over empty social obligations every time. Happy New Year Friko to both you and your Beloved.

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  23. Beautiful wishes. May they all come true. I'm sorry to hear you've been under the weather and that the weather hasn't been the best. Take care Friko. I shall wish some better health for you, and sunshine. Happy new year to you, Beloved and Millie X

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  24. Happy New YEar Friko, I wish you and your loved ones (furry ones included)all the best for the coming year, loved your well thought out sentiments, we can do nothing but carry on, so to find a positive bent to it all, serves us well. (when i cant find one, i read someone elses)

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  25. This is such a wise and beautiful post. There are certainly lessons in it for me. However, sometimes, just sometimes a good whinge is cathartic so I will keep that practice alive, while curbing its free rein.
    Thank you. I hope that your New Year is full of love and magic and that the weather (metaphorical and physical) which has been weighing you down, lifts to show you sunny days.

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  26. Friko, thank you for sharing the lessons.
    So sorry you have not been feeling all that well.
    May each day bring you health, wisdom, love, happiness and
    most of all peace.
    The sun is always uplifting to our spirit
    Very cloudy in my woods for several days.

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  27. I'm too lazy to give much thought to resolutions, let alone write them down. But you have reminded me that moderation has been a life long work for me and I must seek until I find a method of achieving it. I'm hoping that if I concentrate my thoughts on just one wish, I will be more successful than in the past. I wish you and your beloved a happy new year with your wonderful wishes.

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  28. In the end it's a choice of contentment over misery, isn't it? Such a relief to give up that misery.

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  29. Ein glückliches Neues Jahr.

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  30. A wise and, undoubtedly for many of us, timely post. Happy, HAPPY New Year to YOU!

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  31. Friko, What a great post! Your hopes for the new year (and onward) are mine exactly - but you've stated them much better. Wishes that there be sunshine in your life whether or not the real sun cooperates. Happy 2013!

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  32. I kept the link to this page, Friko, and in the same file I copied your wonderful wishes. I am always snarling at my husband who, while he does infuriate me, certainly doesn't do so on purpose. I have been feeling healthier for the last few days, and I know I've growled at him less.
    Someone once said "Live each day as if it were your last" and although I think it is very wise advice, I imagine that on my last day I will be running around in circles saying, "Oh no, this can't be my last day, it just can't!"

    Wishing you and your beloved health and happiness in this new year.
    Love, K

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  33. One wishes that one had crafted this simply perfect, economical, complete exposition of all that I know, wish, and aspire to.

    It is thrilling to understand that another "I" can speak so perfectly for my own "I."


    Aloha & Happy New Year wishes to you my true friend
    from Honolulu,
    Comfort Spiral
    ~ > < } } ( ° >
    > < } } ( ° >
    > < 3 3 3 ( ' >

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  34. Great wishes with which to start the new year. Your optomistic attitude will serve you well. Best wishes for a great 2012!

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  35. I think I will print this post and paste it on my mirror so I remember what you said. This is a meditation I need to revisit. You seemed to have written this just for me. I can relate to so much of what you have to say. Thank you for your words of wisdom spoken in such Friko style!

    I wish you a year that brings enough good health to walk with your new companion, and I also wish for good health for your Beloved without whom you would be bereft of all that brings you deep companionship. I wish you time to write. I wish you the health, the good weather, and the time that is needed to garden. And, I wish you rich and abiding friendships.

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  36. Happy New Year to you and yours, and thanks for sharing your resolutions, salutary, practical, and positive. A lovely post, indeed.

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  37. Very philosophical and, do I detect a note of optimism in there? Happy New Year, Friko!

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  38. Happy New Year! It so often comes back to the same basic principle, doesn't it? And so much better expressed than I ever could.

    The next trick is, how to make sure that taking each day as it comes doesn't lead to putting things off because there's always another day coming along...!

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  39. good thoughts all - have a great 2013

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  40. Da bin ich ja mal gespannt, ob Du es schaffen wirst, Dich an diesen Post zu erinnern wenn es Dich mal wieder runterzieht... Wie gut, dass Du dann ein paar 'Freunde' hast, wie vielleicht mich ;-) die Dich mit der Nase drauf stubsen werden. Das Leben ist zu kurz, Trübsal zu blasen und sich den Gemütsschwankungen hinzugeben, das weisst Du doch selbst. Positives Denken ist gar nicht so schwierig, solange man gesund ist. Sich mit Sachen und Kreaturen zu umgeben, die einem was wert sind, die man gerne hat, ist wichtig. Meine Devise ist und war: das Leben ist herrlich! Ich wünsche Dir von Herzen ein glückliches neues Jahr und viele schöne Entdeckungen in Deinem Garten.

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  41. Happy New Year!

    All the best or 2013.

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  42. sounds like in your marriage
    the pot found its lid
    Happy New Year....and I wish you a year of good health and much love

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  43. Happy New Year, Friko - and may these wishes all come true.

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  44. Gee, I really like the rain. I like your wishes too. Happy New Year Friko.

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  45. Uh-oh. I believe I lost track of time. I didn't realize the season of excess was over and the season of moderation has begun. So I accidentally ate nachos for lunch with cookies afterwards. Now I am sipping on cream and sugar with a little bit of coffee sprinkled in it. Perhaps my moderation starts tomorrow? ;) Stevie@ruffledfeathersandspilledmik.com

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  46. Having enjoyed Christmas and New Year greatly , I'm perfectly ready to live 'moderately but well' for a while . But I fear I'm very easily led astray .....

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  47. Frico, last year has brought you much joy,especially after the loss you have made ​​a new friend Millie. And your beloved always is near and supports you in your life. I think you're happy and wise woman. I wish all the best in the New year!

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  48. These are marvelous and fine wishes and I hope that not only you can see them come true, but that many of us can perhaps borrow a few and maybe they will come true with us as well! I always feel very centered when I visit your world. I always learn something, I may laugh or I may cry -- that has happened more than once! I thank you for that, for connecting to the heart of me. And I am so glad Miss Millie has come into your life. That's a gift. Happy New Year.

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  49. Hallo Friko,
    das Jahr ist mittlerweile zwar schon 4 Tage alt. Ich wünsche Dir dennoch nachträglich ein frohes neues Jahr ! Die Wünsche hast Du sehr treffend formuliert. Ich komme ich auch oft so vor, dass ich ständig auf Hochtouren laufe, weil ich viel erleben will und meinen Geist und meine mentale Verfassung auf Hochtouren bringen will (inklusive Blog-Schreiben). "I will rediscover moderation" habe ich mir gemerkt. "Appreciate true friendship instead of empty social obligations" so habe ich eigentlich schon immer gelebt. Prinzip: die Freunde kann man sich aussuchen. Zweckbeziehungen oder Beziehungen, die ins Leere laufen, sollten abgestoßen werden, Qualität anstelle Quantität. Dein letzter Wunsch heißt bei mir "carpe diem": den Tag bewusst erleben bzw. so leben, als ob es der letzte Tag wäre.

    Ich wünsche Dir nochmals alles, alles Gute
    Gruß Dieter

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  50. Hi Friko .. great thoughts ... so easy at this time of year to get a little out of the line of feeling ok, and also grumping with ones nears and dears ... I too have been laid out - only person I can grump at - is me! So I went to bed instead .. berating me isn't such a good thing!!

    You've certainly got the right attitude attack - being aware of others and tending to their needs, without any extra frills for the superficial ..

    Happy New Year ... and may we have that sunny day back again?! Enjoy Millie ... and your DH of course!! Have a good year ahead - cheers Hilary

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  51. Danke für Deinen Besuch und den netten Kommentar.
    Ich freue mich das Du meinen Blog gefunden hast und die Gegend in der ich wohne kennst.

    Schöne große Gedanken für´s neue Jahr. Ich wünsche Dir das sich Deine Wünsche umsetzen lassen und ein gutes 2013
    ♥ lichst
    Angelika

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  52. Hallo Friko,
    Ich wünsche Dir ein schöne neues Jahr, und dass du viele deiner Vorsätze einhalten und dir deine Wünsche erfüllen kannst.
    Dein Blog gefällt mir. Ich habe dich jetzt durch Zufall gefunden.

    schau doch auch mal bei mir vorbei. Ich blogge auch aus einer Großsstadt, liebe die Fotografie und die Bildbearbeitung. Auch führe ich ein eigenes | Projekt namens Schwarz/Weiss-Farbfokus (S/W-Ff), zu dem ich dich gerne einlade, falls du Lust hast, daran teilzunehmen.

    Hast du Interesse an ggs Follow? Dann lasse es mich bitte wissen. (≧◡≦)
    Viele liebe Grüße nach England, Wieczora (◔‿◔)
    aus Wieczoranien und hier ist mein Fotoblog

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  53. Friko, your wishes are just what so many of us in the autumn of life need to hear and ponder. I too will keep them to remind me to treasure what I already have. A very happy New Year to you and your Beloved and of course to Millie.

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  54. I wish more people would Enjoy it While it Lasts, instead of always looking ahead or behind. You miss it all that way(not that I have never done that myself...but I have learned).

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  55. Ah Friko - your list is so much better expressed than my own that I am going to adopt it. May all your new year wishes come true. I like that doing so depends on you!

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  56. Excellent resolutions Friko! Worth writing down and taping to the bathroom mirror.... Best wishes to you and your Beloved and your new darling Millie for a wonderful year!

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