Starting Over
By bathgate
20 comments
“We must be willing to get rid of the life we’ve planned, so as to have the life that is waiting for us. The old skin has to be shed before the new one can come.”
― Joseph Campbell
“All great beginnings start in the dark, when the moon greets you to a new day at midnight.”
― Shannon L. Alder
Starting over in life could be very daunting – venturing into the unknown and unfamiliar with no “blue print” or reference point. But sometimes it’s the only path left for us to take.
“It’s never too late to start over!”
― Lynne Gentry, Reinventing Leona
Here’s my kitchen after clearing out all outdated appliances and insufficient use of space. It was totally gutted and ripped to the rafters.
I’m out back rubbing sticks together – maybe I’ll get a fire to cook something and yes of course there is another storm on the way. It will be here Saturday. There’s always the microwave – Good times!
“The only real battle in life is between hanging on and letting go.”
― Shannon L. Alder
“If I must start somewhere, right here and now is the best place imaginable.”
― Richelle E. Goodrich
So after much self reflection, I asked myself; Why am I only rebuilding my kitchen? What about the rest of the house? The kitchen is the heart of any house. How much worse could it be to just rebuild the whole house?
“Recreate your life, always, always.
Remove the stones, plant rose bushes and make sweets.
Begin again.”
― Cora Coralina
So that’s what I did. This house is rebuilt from the ground up. It’s a different place now.
“If God closes a door AND a window, consider the fact that it might be time to build a whole new house.”
― Mandy Hale
“Starting over can be the scariest thing in the entire world, whether it’s leaving a lover, a school, a team, a friend or anything else that feels like a core part of our identity but when your gut is telling you that something here isn’t right or feels unsafe, I really want you to listen and trust in that voice.”
― Jennifer Elisabeth
And as for this…my neighbor’s fire which destroyed half my garden…now’s a good time to start over again. :)
“Begin again.”
― Cora Coralina
In the Spring, I’ll build a brick garden wall; the mortar won’t set properly if I do it now with temps this cold.
My forsythia will regrow too. My Leyland Cypress is cooked though. It won’t be coming back.
Goodbye Leyland Cypress. I’m sorry for your untimely death. You were gorgeous, but your lateral branches weren’t made for holding snowpack, nor could they handle the violent winds. You were destined for a short life.
“It’s painful and it’s messy. But sometimes you just have to make the break and start again.”
― Tony Parsons
Since I’ve visited the Botanical Gardens, I’ve always admired the Weeping Norway Spruce. I love their twisty erratic growth habit and downward pendulous branches. They have such character. There are no two alike. Now I have one to call my own.
Here’s one all grown up. Now here’s a tree with character.
When I began to tear down my kitchen ceiling, this is what fell out, a vintage bottle of Coke.
6 Dec, 2014
6 likes
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Comments
Thanks Terratoonie, I caught the bottle as it fell out of my ceiling, lol. Thanks for your comments and good wishes.
6 Dec, 2014
You have been busy , but if you are happy with it , it will be worth it . Looking good .
Very brave , well done B'gate .
6 Dec, 2014
Thanks Driad. It's daunting and exciting at the same time.
6 Dec, 2014
I like your quotes. I think they give very good advice.
I didn't re-do my old cottage. It was in the wrong place.
So I moved :)
That was like a new start.
But what I would really like, is to start again with another life, as a different person, in a different country. Or even on a different planet in a different galaxy - a complete change.
However, I won't do anything about it myself ... I'll wait for it to happen naturally.
You've got a nice house :o)
6 Dec, 2014
Thank you Hywel. Sometimes I feel that way too. :O
6 Dec, 2014
That was very bold and adventurous Bathgate - what a worthwile task it was though! thank you for the wise sayings too and the beautiful tree pic.
Hywel how daring to want to be reborn in another galaxy. What a stick in the mud I am, I feel fortunate to be where I am - but I would like to be a better person next time round and be really good at something instead of just reasonably good at several things. I would like to leave my bit of the world a bit better than I found it.
7 Dec, 2014
Thanks for your comment Steragram.
7 Dec, 2014
Lots of wisdom in these sayings.
House is looking fresh and you can look forward to spring to have your garden look fresh too....starting with Weeping Norway Spruce :-) And that new wall will cover your neighbour's not so attractive shed. Right?
Good luck with all Bathgate and Merry Christmas.
7 Dec, 2014
Thank you Klahanie. Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you as well. I hope you are enjoying the nice weather where you are. My Weeping Norway Spruce got a good soaking rain today.
7 Dec, 2014
What a brave venture and one I'm sure many of us would love to have the nerve to do. I love your quotations, they are very apt. It must have taken you ages to find just the right ones. Please keep us posted with your progress in the garden...oh, and Merry Christmas to you and yours.
7 Dec, 2014
Thank you Waddy. It is quite an adventure. My kitchen was so outdated, it was laughable. Something had to be done. I'm glad you enjoyed the blog and thanks for your good wishes. xx
Paul
7 Dec, 2014
What is it with Hywel waiting for the fates to choose a new galaxy for him ?
Hywel , we couldn't come with you , neither would Beryl or even (is it Bella ?). Wouldn't you miss everyone ? And what if you didn't like it ?
You're a good person as you are !
And you Stera , let's try to love ourselves a bit more , folks .
7 Dec, 2014
Driad, I didn't say I wanted to go now, did I.
But "when the time comes" I wouldn't mind starting again in another galaxy.
(You know nothing about my life on this planet, so you don't know why I said what I did)
7 Dec, 2014
No I don't . No offence intended , Hywel .
8 Dec, 2014
I Love your home,Paul,and also the design and colour..You have worked so hard this year,revamping your kitchen..and you will soon knock your garden back into shape,I'm sure,so you have a nicer project to look forward to Nice quotations too..Are you going to drink that Coke? Lol I would have it on display to remind myself what it took to find it ! :o)
12 Dec, 2014
Thank you Sandra. It has been an interesting year. The new kitchen is really coming along. Today the new appliances arrived and the granite counter tops were installed. The granite really makes the kitchen pop. The hardest part was getting started. I have chronicled the daily progress and will post another blog. I will keep the bottle of Coke as a memento. I hesitate to drink a bottle of Coke that's older then I am, lol. Thanks again for your comment.
12 Dec, 2014
I've just been looking at some of your older blogs and this one in particular struck a chord with me ! I did a blog about it 2 years ago where we lived ( or should I say survived) in Willow Cottage and thought it would never be the same for us again, but 2 years on and my husband Rick and I have never looked back ! Your sayings meant a lot to me. Thank you !
14 May, 2015
You are very welcome. I'm very pleased you found it helpful. I wrote it for you, but didn't know it at the time :)
14 May, 2015
That must be fate then !
14 May, 2015
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Hi Paul ..
I enjoyed reading the sayings you've included ...
good luck with replanting and any further rebuilding ...
looks like you get money back on that coke bottle ;o)
6 Dec, 2014