It’s almost that time of year when we crawl out of the debris and the festive foist with bin-bags and bleach at the ready to clear out the clutter, retire the tinsel and start all over again. I have my Alfart Calendar 2023 at the ready, full of promise and possibility for the months ahead. In Chinese astrology terms 2023 will be the Year of the Rabbit - a year of hope. Lord knows it’s what a lot of folk could use right now. This year I think I’ll use as the Patrick family theme a phrase coined by my friend and fellow Sun of a Gun writer Sarah Hayton (possibly trademarked so I give her full credit for it) - “Get It Done!”
For years I’ve been prone to procrastination, putting off until tomorrow what I could, with a splash of effort and a dash of positive mental attitude, get done today. Whether it be visiting a friend, watching a classic film, recording or writing a sketch or pulling the bike out from among the chaos of our garage for a toby round the houses, I’ve long been a past master of finding an excuse not to get it done. I don’t know whether that’s due to fear of failure, lack of motivation, multiple other distractions or pure laziness but one thing that getting older and turning fifty can do is sharpen your focus and act as a reminder that time and opportunity is finite.
It’s easy to get bogged down by mundane day-to-day tasks and be quite laissez faire about priorities but earlier this year I got a call that stopped me completely in my tracks. Out of nowhere came the news that my step-dad had suddenly passed away. I struggled to take it in. It didn’t seem possible - during a recent visit he appeared to be in good health and full of humour as always and I was all set to take a dinner over to him later that day. The shock of a sudden loss is something that really does underline why it’s so important to be in the moment and enjoy as far as you can every occasion and opportunity, every minute of every day. Be present, spend time on your health, meditate, wear your favourite top, cuddle your pets, partner, parents and kids, listen to an album, visit or call your friends and family (even a text if you’ve not got the energy), go to the library, take time out from laundry or hoovering, try yoga. One positive step at a time. Get it done. Whatever you might be putting off for another day, get it done. I think this partly explains why me and my husband/partner-in-wine (according to some smashing new glasses we received at Christmas) recently took up the opportunity to go to the filming of Jools Holland’s Hootenany. It meant a 650 mile round trip to Maidstone in Kent from Northumberland and it was worth every joule of energy, second of time and penny of petrol. The experience was so unique and joyful, with musicians and entertainers at the peak of their professional powers, that I will treasure the trip ‘til my final days. Hopefully this year will be full of spontaneous and special getting it done moments like that for all of us.
In the words of Jonathan Larson,
“Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes
Five hundred, twenty five thousand moments so dear
Five hundred, twenty five thousand, six hundred minutes
How do you measure, measure a year?…”
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