Words for the New Year

Since 2013, instead of making New Year’s Resolutions, I’ve been choosing words for the New Year. So this being my sixth year, I figured it was time for an assessment. The words themselves were written in good faith, and though often remembered; reflected upon even, did not seem to have any power in and of themselves. Sort of like resolutions:)

I still love the thought of it, so I will continue, but will see them as intentions. Sort of Wishes thrown out to the Universe instead of Words to live by.

My Words for 2017 were Yoga and Meditation. I did a bit of both. I found the practice of both equally grounding and helpful. I’m going to keep those in my pocket for this year, but my Words/Wishes for 2018 are:

Write

Health

May you take the time to find your Word/Wishes and have a splendid New Year.

MY ANTONIA- JANUARY 2018 BOOK SELECTION

I picked up and put down a number of books over the holiday season. For some reason I had a hard time finding one that kept me engaged. I finally settled on a classic that I had missed reading. So far, when I choose a classic, I am never disappointed. This was no exception.

This month’s selection, My Antonia by Willa Cather, has earned distinction for a reason. It stands the test of time. This novel is the third part of a trilogy which began with O Pioneers! and The Song of the Lark.  It is considered perhaps Cather’s finest work.

The story is told from the point of view of a grown man, Jim Burden, reflecting back on his upbringing as a ten-year-old orphan in the late1800’s in Blackhawk, Nebraska. Having lost his parents, Jim is sent from Virginia to live with his aging grandparents to what seems to be the edge of the world. How Jim adjusts to his new life and the colorful characters that populate this town, form the focus of the novel. One character stands out, of course, Antonia.

Antonia is a young Bohemian girl (from what is now part of the Czech Republic) a few years older than Jim who becomes his instant friend and almost constant companion. Antonia’s strength, love of life, resourcefulness and positive attitude shape Jim as much as the harsh Nebraska landscape.

What struck me about the novel and has stayed with me is the fact that the problems, realities and characters could be taken from a modern novel. There are philandering husbands, harsh wives, perspicacious, wise women, gossiping biddies, unconventional relationships, humble farmers and scoundrels. The whole cornucopia of human behavior. The era shaped certain repercussions and morés, of course, but how Cather did this is quite remarkable. She made us see the human condition as timeless and universal.

Recommend.