Except for the ending, it was an absolutely lovely Christmas Eve.
December 24th marked Day 13 of Vlad’s “bedrest,” which essentially meant no morning fetch in the park, no long afternoon walks, and no visitors for him to greet.
Cha Cha came for dinner, and Vlad, slightly subdued on the last day of his tapering down medications, was nonetheless ecstatic.
Everything was picture-perfect until, while bidding our friend goodnight and taking a short walk in the cold, Vlad had a minor spasm—about one-third the intensity and duration of his previous ones.
In the ten days since, with careful vet monitoring and no further symptoms, we’ve gradually restored the afternoon walks to their full length.
Until this morning, however, we hadn’t dared to attempt a full-fledged baseball field fetch experience.
While the vet suggested a 1-2 minute return, knowing how athletic Vlad is, upon entering the field, I set my Apple Watch timer for a bold 3 minutes.
I had the highest hopes for a 2025 Fresh Start (the theme of January’s new meditation HERE).
Years ago, while working on writing projects, I took on a few stints managing remodeling and decorating work.
One of them was for a couple who, if not quite experiencing buyer’s remorse, were nonetheless feeling less than confident about their future digs.
Trying to reassure them, the designer told them that the house had “good bones,” an expression they’d somehow never heard before.
It’s an interesting phrase, one designed to convey a sense of promise or inherent worth, despite imperfections or the need for significant work.
As the New Year begins, I find something hopeful in those words, suggesting that no matter the chaos around us, the foundation remains sound and worth preserving.
I’ve also woven the idea of “Good Bones” into this month’s Fresh Start meditation HERE and the new course starting this Wed Jan 8th.
If you’re feeling the need for some reinvention, then consider
The three minutes on the baseball field passed without incident.
Vlad was delighted.
In fact, he offered his benign disgruntled grrrr when the 180 second visit ended so abruptly.
Returning home, he greeted the door staff enthusiastically as usual.
Everything seemed fine until I fed him his breakfast, garnished with the fresh chicken he always devours immediately, leaving the dry kibble for later.
(Regarding the kibble, Vlad gives me a somber look that telegraphs the message, “You can do better.”)
I was quite dismayed that, for the first time ever, he completely ignored the fresh chicken.
Instead, he went into a particularly deep sleep.
I couldn’t help but wonder if the park visit had thrown something off and if I had miscalculated his recovery.
The vet and I had trusted that downtime was the solution.
We believed that time would heal all ills.
There are, of course, many things in life that do not self-correct, but in general I’ve found Anne Lamott’s advice absolutely correct:
“Almost everything will work again
if you unplug it for a few minutes,
including you.”
There’s tremendous power in a fresh start, one we can use to our advantage on both micro and macro levels.
Indeed, I also find Tom Robbins’ playful wisdom deeply comforting:
“It’s never too late to have a happy childhood.”
Returning to the idea of good bones, I love this poem by Maggie Smith with that title.
Note: the author is not THAT Maggie Smith, one of Britain’s most recognizable and prolific actresses, star of everything from Harry Potter to Downton Abbey.
Even so, the no-nonsense tone and acerbic wit interlaced with great humanity somehow make me want to imagine Dame Maggie reciting the poem herself.
(sigh)…
Good Bones
Life is short, though I keep this from my children.
Life is short, and I’ve shortened mine
in a thousand delicious, ill-advised ways,
a thousand deliciously ill-advised ways
I’ll keep from my children. The world is at least
fifty percent terrible, and that’s a conservative
estimate, though I keep this from my children.
For every bird there is a stone thrown at a bird.
For every loved child, a child broken, bagged,
sunk in a lake. Life is short and the world
is at least half terrible, and for every kind
stranger, there is one who would break you,
though I keep this from my children. I am trying
to sell them the world. Any decent realtor,
walking you through a real shithole, chirps on
about good bones: This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.
Speaking of fresh starts…
This week, I’ve also been remembering a charming anecdote a friend told me lifetimes ago.
Their father was a top executive at a major international corporation.
The job required considerable travel.
Though a patient man, whenever an airline severely bungled things, he would tell his secretary that he would never fly with them again.
Things went reasonably well until one day when his secretary informed him that, because there had been a mishap with every airline, he was now boycotting all of them.
He realized quite wisely if he were to continue his job, that the only thing for him to do was to declare a general amnesty, and return everyone back to square one.
If you missed the New Year’s Day webinar I hosted, you can watch the replay HERE.
Perhaps this is a bit of a spoiler, but my favorite moment comes near the end.
While I’m taking advantage of the calendar by launching a new course in January, I also shared that this is not the only New Year moment available to you.
That morning, after a bit of research, I created the graphic below featuring a few other New Year options.
Whether it’s Chinese New Year on January 29th or Rosh Hashanah on September 22nd, there’s almost always a New Year moment to celebrate whenever you like.
I won’t keep you in suspense about Vlad any longer.
I decided to test his recovery by bringing out his frenemy, the vacuum cleaner.
He immediately sprang into action, playfully defending us and attacking the vacuum.
Then he devoured his breakfast.
Intuitively, I knew this was the final challenge he needed on his path to recovery, the one that would really let him enjoy a fresh start.
There are many changes ahead in 2025 for Vlad and me.
I’d like to offer the world general amnesty, but I’m not sure I’m quite ready.
Indeed, the first week of Move Into Magic (info HERE) is dedicated to clearing the clutter and letting go.
It’s the only way we can see the true foundation of our lives—those wonderful things that chaos tries to hide from us.
As the poet reminds us, “life is short,” thus it’s vital to remember:
This place could be beautiful,
right? You could make this place beautiful.
I think we all can, especially knowing that we can celebrate that New Year Fresh Start absolutely any time we want.
Namaste for Now,
