January 24, 2024- Two bags worth of bath towels, bed sheets and pillow slips went to the Thrift Store, this afternoon, along with a piece of art that I collected a while back, and my two boxed sets of the last two seasons of “Game of Thrones” . In each case, the materials were either far more than I need, or no longer reflect the person into whom I’ve evolved-especially in the past three months. Others who need or can use these items are more than welcome to them. There will be further downsizing, next week, when I have more free time to go through the closets and cabinets.

This year of action, as it has been described, finds me getting up with new energy-and I attribute that, partially, to the fact that I feel the supportive energy of someone whose days and nights are opposite ours here in Prescott. I send loving energy back to her, as well. On top of an already strong network of support, here at Home Base, and across the continent, this energy is a much-treasured bonus. The other element is that I sense increased support from those who have gone on before me-from Penny and from my ancestors who, as I saw yesterday, are making themselves known to my extended family, in ways we have not seen in a while. In any case, I feel so much calmer, more self-assured, and more automatically directed to simplifying my life, since my visit to the Philippines.

Much of what happens this year, especially in the wider world, will seem, at first blush, as having no rhyme or reason. A calm and confident approach to our surroundings, and to things outside our comfort zone, will be necessary to survival-and to the thriving that will follow. There will be a fair amount of yelling-always happens in Election Season, or whenever people feel threatened by even the most innocuous of remarks. There will be weather-related challenges and disasters. We will each lose people we love dearly-some very unexpectedly. In the end, around Christmas and New Year’s, it’ll be obvious to those who have kept a clear head that all of this is part of a larger evolution-and that the skies will clear, the ground settle and the guns will, in fair order, fall silent.

These thoughts are with me, settling in for the night, before two days of work bring a brisk week to its end.