26 days — 26 learnings: Part eighteen of looking back & looking beyond.
My word for today is:
Rhubarb
First of all, I must confess that this “26-day Year-In-Review” is quite a project. Every letter of the alphabet comes with such tremendous choice of words. Some days, one word is all it takes to know what to write about. Other days, I go back and forth and back again, one word after the other comes to mind and surfaces a different memory, which is fantastic on the one hand, time-consuming and somewhat exhausting on the other hand.
This morning, I wasn’t at my best. Low on energy, not feeling like pushing myself in any way. Everything pointing in one direction: Rest!
“Hey, today is “R”- Day, that fits well,” I thought. Everyone needs a break now and then. I can write about that! About desperately needing to pause and rest. I picked up my dairy and words poured out.
A few hours later, my batteries were recharged after a re-energizing meeting, and go see; I start thinking of all the other words that start with an R.
Recharge, reading, revisions, ready, relentless, rules, rigid, relate, resilience, right, really, reason, rebel, rational, rat race, rewind, regret ….
More and more words crossed my mind, every one of them with a story. I could write for days and days. Oh no, I wanted to rest :-)
I sit down at my desk, and realize now is the moment to decide. What is your word today? I grab my dictionary (not for lack of alternatives) to point my finger somewhere — anywhere — and decide just like that.
I flip through the pages, looking for O, P, Q,…there it is the R. Then I see the word Rhubarb, and everything falls into place. No more words needed, a big smile on my face. A happy smile. Fond memories pass by. Sweet memories. Memories of Rhubarb pie.
2017 was the year I baked my first rhubarb pie. As a matter a fact, I might have baked more than 10 of them. All through the rhubarb season, one week after the other. Nothing more delicious than home-made rhubarb pie. Some days, I’d eat rhubarb pie for breakfast, some days for lunch, some days somewhere in between. I didn’t eat them all by myself (even though I could’ve …). My kids were glad to help out. My son loves rhubarb pie as much as I do.
When autumn was nearing, we were in the Netherlands, in a lovely tea garden. The father of the owner passed by our table. His arms full of rhubarb. My son gets all excited: “Look, mom, there’s still rhubarb!” “Not on the market anymore, honey,” I reply. He looks at me: “Can’t you buy it here?” he asks. “I’m not so sure,” I tell him. But the look on his face is so precious; I decide to give it a try. For three kisses, rather than any money, we leave the tea garden with enough rhubarb for at least two more pies.
Yummy. As I think back, a warm, grateful feeling fills my stomach.
What does that tell me?
Life is in the small moments; a kiss on the cheek, watching two butterflies flirt, the smell of salt air strolling along the shore, a mouthful of rhubarb pie. Gratefulness is one of our most powerful emotions.
My take away for 2018: Don’t take those moments for granted. Big bold goals might be exciting, but the real beauty of life is right here, right now. Feel the sun, smell the rain, eat with pleasure, sing a song, give a hug…
