In this strange time between Christmas and New Years, when there is no rhythm to the days, when mornings bleed into afternoons and then evenings, where there is clutter everywhere, and everything seems to be in a happy kind of disarray, I like to retreat under a blanket and read, preferably in front of the glimmering Christmas tree, with a fire in the fireplace next to me.
This year, I have been escaping into a book The Garden Against Time by Olivia Laing, a book given to me by the Husband for Christmas. He knows how I have been contemplating changes in our garden a lot lately. Its use as a splash pad, t-ball pitch, and one-time artificial ice rink are now over as the kids have officially outgrown all forms of backyard play. In other words, our garden, which I put in when the kids were just toddlers, much like our playroom in the basement, is ready for a change. His gift has inspired me, as I have been imagining all the ways I can cut back and remove things growing in our current garden, to make way for new plants and a new way of being in our garden.
Reading about the restoration of an eighteenth century-garden also reminded me of another book I read at this same time a few years ago, Paradise in Plain Sight by Karen Maezen Miller, in which she restores a 100-year old Zen garden. Both books contain the idea of pruning and clearing and cutting back to reveal the beauty buried beneath the over-growth, as well as the idea of cleaning out to allow for beautiful new growth. It was a wonderful book, not just for the descriptions of how she remade her garden, but also for all the life lessons found within the garden.
It would be disingenuous of me to insinuate that all I’ve been doing these past few days is indulging in reading books . . . I have of course spent a considerable amount of time scrolling through Instagram and the internet. While a good portion of the content I’ve seen concerns how to wring the most out of these last few days of the season – what recipes to whip up, which cocktails to mix, and the like, there has also bee LOTS of content concerning the new year. It seems as though the list of things I can add into my life to make it more meaningful, healthier, happier, or just better, are endless.
After this season of addition, where we add decorations to our houses, we pile presents under the tree, we stuff ourselves with food and drink, adding in more “stuff” is the antithesis of what I want for the new year. As I put away our Christmas decorations today, and tidy the house, preparing for the new year ahead, I know my thoughts will be of how I can prune and clear and cut-back the over-growth in my life. What can I do to articulate that which is essential to my family and my life? How can I cut back on that which isn’t essential to us having a good life? How can I simplify our routines and de-clutter our house to find the beauty hiding underneath all that we have accumulated?
Just like my garden is ready to be cleaned out to allow for beautiful new growth, so too is my life.
nancyhotson 
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