Sunday 31 December 2017

A Bowl of Cherries

Cherries are one of the joys of Christmas in Australia.
They are only in season for a few short weeks. 

Above view of a bowl of red cherries (centre) and the corner of a black laptop computer (right hand side). They are resting on a tabletop covered with a mid-blue tablecloth. The bowl is off-white ceramic with two handles and cast in a filigree lace pattern.


Believe it or not, this bowl was heaped high with cherries
just yesterday evening. (Not so high now!)

Bowl of cherries - side view. Bowl is offwhite, made with ceramic cast in filigree lace. The bowl has two handles on the rim and three feet underneath. It stands on a matching dish. There is a blue tablecloth underneath and a pink bag behind it.



It sits in the middle of the table, right next to where I am reading all of your lovely messages and blog posts.

Meanwhile my left hand keeps dipping into the cherry bowl of its own accord.  
How is one supposed to type replies with a handful of cherries?  The automatic solution is for that distracted left hand to pop those burdensome cherries into my mouth! There! Problem solved. 

Not quite: I need to stop that left hand from straying too often otherwise there will be no cherries left for New Year's Eve celebrations tonight.

What do you do on New Year's Eve?  Do you make plans way in advance? 

I find that my variable health makes planning difficult. I never know how I am going to be from day to day or from hour to hour.  Will I be able to stay awake until midnight?  With my fragile health status: do I even want to?   Evening events (well, any major events or changes in routine) take such a long recovery time that I ask myself, "Is staying up until midnight even worth the trouble?"



What a Party Pooper!  


Yet it doesn't need to be that way!  I will still celebrate New Year's Eve except nowadays I make it easy on myself by staying at home where I can sneak off for a nap if necessary without interrupting proceedings for anyone else.  

Actually, I have a confession. I have never been a big New Year's Eve planner. When it comes to New Year partying, I've always been impulsive.  

My friends, family and I were often called to work on New Year's Eve so could never rely on long term plans.  Every year, we would wait until the very evening and then decide what to do. Sometimes there were personal party invitations or organised events and other times, we just went out to random places to see what was happening.  Usually we had impromptu meetings with other friends and associates along the way; often we made new friends but invariably we would find ourselves with a bunch of happy people, having a great time.  We ALWAYS had FUN.

Now that my health problems have forced a slow-down, the fun part doesn't need to change. It's just slower fun!  Whatever happens, I'm ready to 'go with the flow' and it is still enjoyable.

New Year's Eve, for me,  is a time to rest, recharge and reflect.  It's a more sedate party where I like to savour my favourite foods and drinks, spoil myself with little luxuries and consider the year ahead, or, if not the year, plan the next thing to look forward to!

It's so important to look forward to special things in life.  No matter what difficulty you may be facing, having happy future plans can give you the hope and perseverence to overcome feelings of fear, worry or sadness and get past the problems of the current moment–a little bit of mental respite from the stress of this instant. It could be a big plan like a holiday away or something little like 10 minutes with a crochet hook at the end of the day.

Looking forward … looking back … what I am looking at again is that bowl of cherries.
Are you thinking what I am thinking? That expression: 


"If life is a bowl of cherries, then this is the pits!"


Yeah, life has felt like that in 2017 and, I won't lie, I expect more of the same in 2018 (that's life); but there have been some pretty amazing experiences and achievements too.  There is much for which to be thankful. Now that I think about it some more, I realise there are so many good things in life, including the many wonderful people whom I love and cherish; for some unfathomable reason, they also love me back!  

Lupey Loops and the blogosphere have been great sources of connection and friendship for me. It is always a joy to meet people with similar interests.  It has also been a source of personal growth to meet people with differing and new ideas that challenge my own or bring a new perspective to the daily struggle of life.    

Thank you for sharing so much of your lives, loves and creativity!

Watch out! That hand is reaching for the cherries again; except this time, with every bite, I will make sure to acknowledge the pit so that I don't choke and come to harm; I will also make a special effort to truly savour the juicy, sweet flesh of the cherry.  If I can remember to have the same outlook on life, then maybe 2018 won't be so bad.



How was 2017 for you?

What do you do on New Year's Eve
(or perhaps you will celebrate the Lunar New Year–16 February)?

Are you a planner, procrastinator or impulsive party person?




2017  

According to Cherries



Let's start with the pits so we can end on
a joyful note with the scrumptious cherries!





Grand Final disappointment & disability discrimination: http://lupeyloops.blogspot.com.au/2017/10/crows-family-day.html

More issues with equitable access for people with disabilities putting a dampener on outings. It is disappointing that in this modern day and age, access issues are still treated as afterthoughts:
The worst events of all this year have been the need to fight for basic supports in my community such as keeping therapy services open and access to public transport in addition to the burden of new disability schemes. The stress and energy required is pushing me past my limits and making me ill.  My well being and independence are at stake:




THE DELICIOUS CHERRIES

Being well enough to attend events:

Tour Down Under

Plus all the stuff related to makers and craft:



The Beanies to Berets Exhibition & Sale
My own crochet activities:
And the most exciting and beautiful news of all has been the welcoming of gorgeous little people into the world:

Thank you for visiting Lupey Loops during the year.  I love reading your comments and knowing that you have visited.  Your thoughts and support are appreciated very much.  Wishing you all the best for a fun and fortunate 2018.

Good bye 2017!

 Happy New Year!
 

15 comments:

  1. Happy New Year my friend. I am all about being in bed early, asleep if I can be when it turns midnight and the new year comes upon us. Why start off the new year with a hangover, headache and fatigue? I get enough headaches not to try to give myself one. My house is clean, the sheets, towels and bath mats washed, the holiday items stored away, it is time to move onto 2018. I hope it is a great year for you health-wise, and of course life-wise. Happy New Year.

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    1. You are a very wise example, Meredith. Each year, I have been making my NYE quieter and I am liking it more and more. We'll be in better shape to tackle 2018! Happy New Year Hugs xx

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  2. Happy New Year Jodie :)

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    1. Happy New Year, Tracey! I hope you had a warm, peaceful New Year's Eve. Best wishes for 2018.

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  3. Happy New year such a lot of achievements for 2017. We had planned a quiet New Year but then a phone call changed our plans. We went to a party which was great fun and a lovely way to get to know neighbours better. Best wishes for 2018.

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    1. That sounds like a lot of fun, Lorraine. I love the adventure of spontaneous decisions like that. I'm sure the neighbours enjoyed getting to know you a bit better too! What a nice way to ring in a new year. May 2018 be full of fun and friendship. :-)

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  4. I hope you welcomed the new year in style, Jodie :-) The cherries look so fresh and delicious, who could resist?
    Amalia
    xo

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    1. You are such an 'enabler' Amalia! You have given me permission to just keep going with those irresistible cherries! Summer fruits are the best. Happy New Year to you Amalia. May 2018 be good to you. x

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  5. Happy New Year Jodie! Those cherries look yummy! The four of us stayed at home too. We did make it to midnight. Our 11 year old was vlogging the countdown! The highlight of the evening was finishing our Christmas jigsaw. We are so rock and roll! Ha ha!

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    1. Yay for the satisfaction of finishing you puzzle, Tamara! All ready for a new start in the new year. The vlogging sounds like fun. Does this mean that you are all 'Vlogstars' now? We usually have a jigsaw puzzle on the go during the holidays. Jigsaw puzzles are more popular than people like to admit, I think. It is the perfect family activity for all ages and especially for teens who keep varying hours. We can all contribute to a jigsaw puzzle even when we are not all at home at the same time. I used to get one started and then walk away and watch the others get drawn into it. Like Amalia said above, about cherries being irresistible, who can resist a partly completed jigsaw puzzle? I like the sound of your rock and roll! ;-)

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  6. Ahhh. Cherries! I have to wait until July here, but I do love them and I can understand why your hand keeps dipping into that wonderful bowl.
    We had a quiet New Year's Eve. I don't like all the hype, it is to stressful - so we spend a quiet evening at home and at midnight have a glass of something bubbly, a nice kiss and then bang pots and pans outside the front and back doors.
    2017 had its ups and downs as do all years, but a definite up for me was the trauma recovery group I attended in August-October. It has helped my mental health immensely and for that I am so glad. My relationship with my daughter is improving month by month and that is a big plus too. There were too many deaths this year, but I suppose at my age that is going to become the norm. I am so thankful for my knitting and swimming and for my amazing blogging relationships like yours and mine. I am always happy to see your responses to my posts or to my replies on your posts. I hope this year is better health wise for you, and I am wishing you and your family all of the very best things in 2018. Here is to peace of mind, peace of body and peace in the world.

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    1. It is so wonderful that you have made so much progress with your mental health during 2017. Your positive energy was reflected in your posts compared with previous years. This is a good trend. It doesn't mean that you haven't been down, but as long as there are more ups than downs, it is good.

      I was very down towards the end of 2017 - the result of extended exposure to physical and emotional stress. I'm taking more 'time out' to recover and that will mean longer intervals between blog posts for a little while. I hope that I can get back to some usual routines by March so please be patient with me. You can always email me at jodiebodiecrochets@gmail.com.

      I will raise my glass to your toast: to peace of mind, peace of body and peach in the world. Cheers! x

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    2. Haha! PeaCH in the world? Sounds like an ode to those yummy, sweet, juicy, summer fruits! I could have deleted the comment and reposted with the correct version - PEACE - but that wouldn't be so funny! :-D
      So here's to blog friendships, 2018 and wishing you many peaches as well as peace!

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  7. I hope you had a lovely new year Jodie and wish you the best health possible in 2018. Our house has been very quiet this year as we were all under the weather over the festive period. We always stay home on New Year's Eve and spend the evening quietly, the days of partying all night are long gone and I actually finished a pair of crocheted socks that evening. Hx

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    1. Congratulations on your New Year's Eve socks! What a lovely way to ring in the new year. Under the weather, heh? How 'festive' do you get at Christmas? ;-)
      I was happy to have a full table on Christmas Day and to have a very quiet New Year's Eve on the couch to recover from a huge year. May 2018 be kind to you and filled with happy crochet! Cheers! :-)

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