“Nostalgia is a file that removes the rough edges from the good old days.”
Doug Larson
Rosemary is the final plant in the series Pondering the Plants of the Winter Solstice. Rosemary is an easily recognizable, pungent herb often infused into our seasonal savory dishes. Its aromatic aura aids in memory and recall. It rouses our senses to remember, recollect, and reminisce. Memories of by-gone gatherings may muster up a mosaic of emotions and feelings that we must maneuver through in the latter months of the year. Where I reside, rosemary is a tender perennial and its presence in my winter garden is a fragrant reminder to be gentler with myself amongst my memories.
Ringing in a new year comes with a lot of expectations. Expectations of letting go of our old attachments and ideas, our tired negative self-talk, and our ancient patterns of worry. However, our genetic gifts of consciousness, creative thought, and nuanced, nostalgic tendencies rich in emotions and feelings, make letting go a much more complex construct than a calendar countdown to a new year. We must wallow through our ego, fear, illusion, and a myriad of memories and muddled feelings – sadness, loneliness, anger, resentment, insignificance, and a loss of control and connectedness.
With some practice and in our own time, we can live fully and free ourselves from suffering, attachment, and mental and emotional fixation. Engaging in daily mindfulness practice, grounding ourselves in the present moment, setting aside time for sacred self-care, and holding space for and fully feeling our emotions, wholly affirming that it is OK to not be OK. As we let go of what no longer serves us, honoring its place and purpose in our growth, we cultivate and carry forward a sense of wild freedom, unbounded happiness, limitless personal growth, and deep, engaging relationships with others.