the creative minimalist

darren r hill : writer, minstrel and journal keeper

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Advent the light will return

advent candleThe Advent candle is burning. I sit and think about where I am. The light; sunshine/spring/christ, is a way off. Before that time, the time of Solstice, of Yule, of Christmastide, the daylight will continue to wane. The dark time, night-time will lengthen and grow. Ever darker. Less light, little by little.

Harvest has been. The barns are stocked. The cupboards are full.

The fields are barren. The soil lays in wait. Too cold to be turned. Of no use… at this time.

At this time I, like the soil, wait. I am spent. I have created. I have filled my barns and cupboards.

I wait for the light because I know it will return. And while I wait I light the candle.

 

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namaste
d
xox
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My December planner and journal set-up

It’s a new month and time to set-up my December planner and journal. I’ll give an overview of how I am using my planner to achieve my goals and complete my projects.

 

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox
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Stan Lee

Stan Lee by Gage Skidmore 3
Gage Skidmore [CC BY-SA 3.0]
There was once a little boy. He saw an advert on the television. It was for a new comic launching in the UK. He pestered his parents until they went to the newsagent and bought the comic for him. It was February 1973. The boy couldn’t read, so the job of reading the words in the speech bubbles fell to his parents.

The comic was the UK edition of Spider-Man, or Spider-Man comics weekly to be pedantic. For the next several years this boy was read, and then read himself, the exploits of Spider-Man. Spider-Man was a superhero but he was also puny Peter Parker, a weak science geek, nerd type, who was often the smallest and weakest in the class. This, so often, resonated. And, Spider-Man like so many others, came courtesy of Stan Lee, who died yesterday.

I have always loved fantasy, science fiction and super-hero stories. Anything that has a supernatural element to it will often interest me. Spider-Man, and later the whole Marvel universe, has brought me hours and hours of entertainment since that young boy got his first comic.

The genius of Stan Lee was that he brought reality to these unreal stories. The characters were flawed people just like you and I. Despite their superpowers they couldn’t solve everything or save everyone. I am quite sure that my earliest confrontation with death was when Peter Parker’s girlfriend Gwen Stacey died, with Spider-Man unable to protect her.

So, thank you Stan Lee. You told me that we’re all in this together. You told me that we can all be heroes. You told me that despite being heroes life still hurts and is a struggle. But most of all you brought joy to the lives of many, and that really is a superpower.

Stan Lee 1922-2018

 

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox
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At its thinnest

at its thinnest

It is a time of letting go. The summer and following harvest have passed. The barns have been filled. We have reaped what we have sown. The nights are getting longer, the sunlight weak and insignificant. The darkest days are ahead.

It is a time to let go. The season has changed. The time of growth and increase has passed. This is a time of scarcity, of using what we have stored. A time to pause until the light returns.

It is a time of reflection. How successful was our harvest? How abundant is our fruit? How wisely did we use the resources granted to us? If the light and warmth and time return, what will we do differently?

It is a time of looking through. The veil is thin at this time. We don’t just reflect on our season, but the season of others. The time of those who are no longer with us. The time of those who went before. Our ancestors, we will never forget.

It is a time at its thinnest.

 

Thank you for reading this post. Please share your thoughts in the comment section below.
namaste
d
xox
If you enjoyed this post please support my writing by making a donation of any amount.

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