The stories of my life on a little island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea ... and my occasional adventures beyond these shores.

Monday 18 January 2010

Winter Day Ponderings

The cold weather has finally made it here. After enjoying sunshine and blue skies while the rest of Europe was covered in snow and ice, we finally woke up to grey skies and rain this week. We have such a short winter here in the central Mediterranean that when it finally comes, I really love and enjoy it. Pelting rain and strong howling winds are common when winter finally sets in. The house we live in overlooks a valley and when the wind is blowing from the back of our house, which is totally unprotected, we can hear it rattling the window frames and wreaking havoc with our plants. But I enjoy it. I think of it as the voice of winter. For all the seasons have a voice and so do the different winds. Our winds actually have different names and when the mighty northern winds blow you can rest assured that the weather will cool and the icy fingertips of the wind will find their way inside your clothes, chilling your skin and giving you an over all tingling feeling.
Experimenting
As I am writing this I realise that the coldest part of our winter is still before us but I know that Spring will follow - because the seasons are a cycle and, in truth, even our lives go through different seasons. In a way they parallel each other. Except that there is never a spring after our winter. Or not in this world. It is a bitter pill to swallow and one which I always have a hard time wrapping my thoughts around. But while we live, we hope. And we dream.
Chadwick Lakes (3)
Chadwick Lakes (9)
My dream for 2009 was to write. For six months I wrote and wrote but when summer came (and my brain was all drowsy with the intense heat) it dawned on me that I was spending time writing but away from my son. In all honesty, I was there physically but my brain would be miles away and I felt that I was missing out on some of my little one’s most important years. It is true that writing is something I enjoy and we should not give up our dreams when we have children, but I could not ignore the fact that, after a day at work and away from him, I could not just zone out and write and not play with him. So now all the writing I do is for my blogs. Hopefully all the vestigial stories that I have jotted down on notebooks and scraps of paper will one day be given life. I know that many might argue that life will not wait for me and that we should seize the moment. But then, neither will our children wait. They grow up way too fast and before we know it they are off to follow their own dreams. Right now I feel it is more important to plant future dreams in my little boy than it is to follow mine. After all, as long as I have some sort of outlet through my blogs, it is enough.

16 comments:

  1. That was wonderful writing and insight Loree...I don't believe you will "ever" regret such a decision! My best to you!

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  2. I had never thought about the wind as the "voice of winter" before; I like that. I have seen how quickly children grow up and get busy with their own lives.

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  3. I guess we have to make our priorities straight, and the little boy is first. He will grow up faster than we think. Whether my dream comes true or not, my responsibilities with my children are first also..

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  4. You know, you have years yet to write..your little one is what is important to you now....and your life experiences with your child will help you be an even better writer when it is the right time....
    The BEST to you!

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  5. I agree with "the retired one" I am retired too and now I really have time to write and also the mind for ! When you have a child, a household and work, you are so absorbed by real life that there is not a lot of space for your own. I am happy that I can write on my blog and that people read me.
    I don't like winter at all and look forward for spring ! Wind is nice but no storm !

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  6. Writing is a wonderful passion of yours and just think of all the great things you will be able to write about one day of all the experiences and adventures of the time spent with little guy. Although I do not plan to have children for a while... once I do I would like to hopefully keep a journal and then one day have it made into a book chalked full of memories, pictures, adventures, mishaps etc. I guess you could say it would end up being a sort of memory book for my child once they are older to look back on :o)

    Keep up your writing Loree you're so talented at it- no need to stop cold. But of course being there and taking time to experience life with your child is the most important :o)

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  7. Howdy Loree
    Blessings to you today.
    I am so glad you see how important it is to be with your son and capture these special moments before he is grown and off living his own dreams.
    I love your writing and yes life is made up of seasons .
    Each season has a special place in our lives.
    You will find all seasons work together just be patient and you will know when to write and when to simply trust in the future.
    I am so thankful to you for sharing your great talent with us through your blogs.It has been such a joy to read your words and gaze at your fabulous photos .
    You have so much talent .
    Thank you for your kind words
    for my Mom .
    She is stable but has several issues that need answers before the Dr. can choose a path of treatment .
    It looks like we are in for the long haul at this time .
    I am still counting on all the well wishes of everyone as I cannot get back home and have to handle things over the phone .
    I live 5 hours away from my parents.
    Hope to be able to go back soon and take care of things in person.
    Blessigns to you and yours.
    Love and Hugs from Texas
    Happy Trails

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  8. As you said, life has its seasons. And your season of life right now is being a mother to your precious son. The writing will be there in a season to come. You don't have to do both right now--just like you can't have summer and winter at the same time.

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  9. BEAUTIFUL!!!
    Absolutely beautiful.

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  10. I think it's very admirable of you to wait to write. You're so right - they are only children for a little while. I only write when they are asleep. I think blogging is a wonderful way to express ourselves and share our thoughts and who we are. I'm giving you a link to where a blogger talks about BLOG2PRINT - it's an on-line service that makes it easy to put all your posts into book form. Also I love the pictures above especially the one with the yellow flowers.

    I'll e-mail you the link for the BLOG2PRINT post.

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  11. I guess you don't have your e-mail listed. Just go to Blog2print.com - I plan to use it.

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  12. I think you're making the right decision. Your son won't be young forever. One day he will need to strike out on his own more. And you can write then.

    You'll also be a more mature together person and you'll find that the time you spend away will actually benefit your writing.

    I love what you've written on winter where you are. And I love your pictures as always.

    I've given you an award over at my blog. Don't worry about doing the whole award thing if you don't have time. Just consider it a tribute to your blog.

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  13. Hi Loree,

    I love reading your stuff! You really have a talent for writing!

    I must admit that at times I'm guilty of the same thing as you, supposedly doing stuff and spending quality time with my daughter, yet, my mind being somewhere else. I think it's great that you've realized this yourself and that you actually acted upon it as well. I try to do it too, and I know that even my daughter notices the difference when I do devote "all of me" to her, my mind and thoughts included :).

    Incase you liked The Notebook - trailer, then you have to try to either rent the movie, borrow it from someone, or like I did after I had only seen it once (borrowed the DVD from my colleague who thought it might be a "Nona-movie" as we call it :D), ordered it from a webshop (I think it didn't even cost 10 euros), and now watch it every now and then. It has totally become my feel-good movie. I love the music by Alan Silvestri, the story of the film, the fact that it goes back in time, the love story, the message it has to the viewer, just EVERYTHING about it. I also like the fact that the main characters, e.g. the young couple aren't these super famous and supposedly gorgeous "hottest man or hottest woman of the year" type of movie stars, but great upcoming actors who after a few minutes of watching the movie have you spellbound and just have something special about them ....

    Or, then just get the book (by Nicholas Sparks) :). I still want to read the book as well since books usually are even more magical than the films.

    Take care,
    Nona

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  14. Hi Loree!
    I have just discovered your blog and I think it's wonderful.
    Your decision to dedicate more time to your little son is the best thing to do and you will never regret it.
    I have found the joy of getting back to crafting now that my kids are grown up... it's never too late to get back to what we love doing most. You'll enjoy writing even more when the right time arrives.
    WISHING YOU ALL THE BEST OF LUCK!
    Sue (Maltese living in Italy.)

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  15. I thank you all for taking the time to come round and comment. I am encouraged by all your remarks. It is hard to give up on something that I love but it is worth it for my little one. I am sure he will be off doing some sport soon and leaving me with more time on my hands.
    A big welcome to Crafty Sue. Hope you enjoy my blog.

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  16. Enjoy your son,your writing will wait for you.

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Thanks for stopping by. I read and appreciate every one of your comments. I will do my best to reply whenever I can.

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