Into the Future

"The hardest thing to do in this world, is to live in it." (Buffy - Joss Whedon)

I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions - previous ones have either been so silly and mundane that they were forgoten about in a few days or they were massive life-changing steps that I obviously wasn't ready to take at the time. There are many things I should change (getting rid of bad habits, starting new good habits, having a better diet, not letting things get to me) however I have just watched something that has handed me the perfect resolution:

To live my life, everday.

... just that.

Hubby gave me the special extended edition of the Return of the King for Christmas. In the extra features, there is a piece about the inspiration for "Into the West" - the final piece of music in the third film. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh (who was struggling to write the lyrics for the song) met a young film-maker called Cameron Duncan.
He had been diagnosed with terminal cancer but still had one more short film that he wanted to make. He played softball before his diagnosis and he had written a story about a guy dying from cancer who formed a softball team to play one last game for him. The message was to be thankful for what you have, to make the most of your life, it's the things that you don't do that you regret. The film put these across in such a direct and uncomplicated manner.

A few months later he died, aged 17.

Almost half my age and he accomplished so much.

This time of year is a time for introspection. Prior to living with Hubby, there were times that my life wasn't moving forward it was just flowing past me and I was an observer. The perfect soundtrack to those times of my life would be Dido's "Life to Rent". The first time I heard that song it hit me powerfully.

However, looking back over the past twelve months, I've achieved lot:
* I'm a married woman :o)
* I proved to myself that, with help, I could organise quite a major social event.
* I also faced my fears and gave a speech in front of 70 people!

Life can be difficult or scary at times but I don't want to shy away from it, I want to live it. I want to continue to move forward, I want to overcome obstacles and I want to continue proving things to myself.

So at the end of 2004, I'm gazing down the road ahead into 2005, wishing us all ...

Happy Journeys.

Merry Christmas

Wishing you all a very relaxing Christmas-time and a peaceful New Year.

Christmas Stocking

I have nearly finished wrapping up all our Christmas presents (yay me!!) and I got to thinking - what would be awesome to find in my Christmas stocking, what would I like to receive if reality was no obstacle?

First, given my misbehaving body - a Medical Tricorder and Hypospray from Star Trek would be useful.
For those of you whose taste is not as impeccable as mine, a tricorder is a CAT scan, MRI scan, heart monitor, DNA sequencer, blood pressure monitor, X-ray machine, toxicologist, mass spectrometer, and more, all rolled into one hand-held device. Hyposprays replace horrible hypodermic needles in the delivery of medication and vaccines, etc. A very fine mist of the substance to be delivered is fired through the skin at high speed into the blood stream. Mo mess, no fuss. A great boon for those of us that have to lie down even for the flu jab, least we collapse in a heap.

This isn't a thing as such, more a place ... or perhaps not a place, to be more precise, um.
L-space. A concept described by Terry Pratchett in some of his Discworld books. I shall endeavour to explain. Words are powerful things therefore it stands to reason that books are powerful. A place where many books are stored is bursting with power, so much so that it warps space and time creating L-Space. All significant collections of books do this therefore libraries the world over are linked through L-Space. Those initiated (librarians and book-sellers) can travel in L-Space to access books in other places. Furthermore, it is "believed", every book that was ever written, that will ever be written, or even ever potentially written is accessible through L-Space.
Now THAT's a lot of books. :o)

I'm afraid I shall have to go back to Star Trek once more - a replicator would be very cool. To be able to eat whatever you wanted - pizza every meal or ice-cream for breakfast - which tastes perfect every time but is also perfectly nutritionally balanced.

Harry Potter's invisibility cloak would be quite fun and very useful at times, in a sneaky sort of way. :o)

Another thing that has always fascinated me, but I've no idea why, is Frodo's sword - Sting. Although this is one fantasy item it is possible to obtain, with a company licensed to make authentic replicas of the weapons from the Lord of the Rings movies (donations to Rhea's "buy the sword" fund gratefully received, hehe). Speaking of which, I wore a replica piece of jewllery at our wedding - the jewel that Arwen gave to Aragorn as a token of her love. It is a beautiful necklace and suited my dress perfectly.

What would you have in your dream stocking?

Happy Journeys.

There and Back Again

I'm sure you have realised that the above is taken from Tolkien - "There and Back Again by Bilbo Baggins". Not so much a hobbit's tale as my tale (although, come to think about it - I like to sleep late, eat often, dislike loud and busy places [I live in London??] and would quite happily live in Bag End if only it had a 2Mb broadband connection).

One of the mini-themes of the Hobbit and the Lord of the Rings is of journeys and paths. Bilbo warns Frodo of the perils of stepping out of your own front door and being swept away by the road (annoyingly I can't find the quote at present).

We too talk of life's journeys, career paths, the route to sucess - the symbolism of journeys heavily colours our everday language.

At points throughout the story, Tolkien uses a basic poem pattern which changes to reflect the protagonist's state of mind and point in the adventure.

Here are a couple of examples with thanks to the great man:

The Road goes ever on and on
Down from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
And I must follow, if I can,
Pursuing it with eager feet,
Until it joins some larger way
Where many paths and errands meet.
And whither then? I cannot say.

The Road goes ever on and on
Out from the door where it began.
Now far ahead the Road has gone,
Let others follow it who can!
Let them a journey new begin,
But I at last with weary feet
Will turn towards the lighted inn,
My evening-rest and sleep to meet.

The first is looking forward to the journey, the adventure - both Bilbo and Frodo say these words near the start of their journeys. The second speaks of a finished journey and rest at last.

I've always been fascinated by these poems and so I "borrowed" the style for use in the Thank-you wedding scrapbooks that I made for our parents. Clearly written by a less accomplished writer :o)

Our lives go ever on and on
From the day when we first met.
Where our paths merged into one,
Leading to the day we wed.
That day we chose a different road,
In front of you we joined our lives.
We know we’ll never be alone,
For now we journey as man and wife.

Life is a journey or, I guess more accurately, a series of journeys - the main roads of childhood, education, relationships, career; with little side roads of holidays, our first love, illnesses, hobbies & past-times. We are on a one-way road of Time with no U-turns and only one exit ramp. We are also on our own, very personal, inner journey of development, the path of which is surrounded by the sometimes harsh and sometimes breath-taking landscape of emotions and experiences.

So, why There and Back Again?
In the Lord of the Rings, it refers to the quest - stepping out of the door of Bag End and being carried away on the highways and byways of the exhilarating adventure to hopefully make it back one day.

In life, perhaps we should all strive to be like Bilbo and Frodo (not in the discovering a ring of power and fighting the forces of evil sense, I hasten to add) and bravely follow life's journey to see what's out there ... maybe proving that little people can make a difference in this world too.

Happy Journeys.

Thanks to blogliners for my inspiration.

"To everything there is a season" - Have you a favorite?

That's a toughie but I do enjoy and loathe winter. It is horrible because, as I have mentioned before, I am one of those icicle people who really feel the cold so from November to March I am swathed in layers. On the other hand, it's fab because ... well for so many reasons:

Clear frosty mornings leading to bright red noses and sparkling eyes (as children, my friend and I would say that the frost on the ground was diamonds).

Frozen dew caught on a spider's web (reminding me of the beautifully illustrated Victoria Plum books of Spring, Summer, Autum and Winter that I used to love).

The child-like anticipation of Christmas (see my previous post).

Mince pies and mulled wine.

Candles scented with cinnamon, orange and vanilla.

Bright red berries against shiny green leaves.

Listening to carols, Bing & Frank, and cheesy Christmas music.

Walking home from work and catching glimpses of decorations and warm inviting lights in hallways and lounges.

Wishing for a white Christmas but hoping the snow will thaw properly for when I have to walk to work in the new year!

Seeing the look of surpise and delight (hopefully) on my loved ones faces on Christmas morning.

The stark but beautiful sight of a leafless tree against a water-colour sky.

The first snowfloake peeking through January snow (reminding me of when I would go for walks with my Nan and having to "ring" the first snowbell I saw) ... followed by cheerful crocus and daffodils - the heralds of spring and another new year.

Happy Journeys.