Dec 12, 2023·edited Dec 14, 2023Liked by Candace Rose Rardon
Gosh, yes, so much resonance. I remember doing the same when I moved from the UK to New Zealand. I shipped just 5 boxes and gave everything else away. It felt like a deep cleansing, very freeing, and what I remember most clearly from that time is how many new things flooded into my life in the year that followed to fill the space - new jobs, relationships, furniture, connections. It's said that nature abhors a vacuum and it can be interesting to create a space and then see what shows up. I see this in my garden too - nature doesn't leave things empty for very long 💚
This was a lovely post. A new way to look at major change. Lots to think about and mull over as the seasons, and the garden, of our lives evolves over time. Love the thoughts and pictures, a visual diary. I have started my own visual diary because of your inspiration, and already I find it interesting to see my thoughts and drawings as my life unfolds and I understand the importance of every day.
Reading each of your essays is like arriving and resting for a bit at a calming oasis. Thank you, Candace. ...and I'm so glad that you and Jose are feathering your new nest and making new friends as you settle into your life in Antwerp.
Lovely essay; so simple and so profound. It reminds me of some of the "winters" in my marriage, the tough times we were truly tested. Jeff told me something, though, that really knocked my socks off. He said a co-worker asked him if he felt loyal to the company. Jeff told him how loyalty to a company has never gelled for him because corporations lay off workers for arbitrary reasons. They are rarely if ever loyal to their workers. He told this co-worker how, instead, he places his loyalty in his wife ... me ... because I've been there supporting him emotional during these layoffs and other trying moments. That's were our beautiful winter garden forms, in trusting and loyalty to each other against a capricious world. Thank you for this essay, Candace.
This is perfect! A few days ago I left a comment on a different newsletter about winter being about unfurling and this was brought to mind again reading your beautiful piece. In the time of our life that is the winter garden we gather our energy, or our loved ones, close to us to prepare for the next season of life which may involve unfurling to our fullest potential. But we cannot do this without the quiet winter garden phase.
"There's beauty in being like a garden in the winter." So lovely. You might say there are no words - but all the words are here, too! And beautiful illustrations, as ever 💕
This was beautiful, Candace, as always. I specially appreciate the way you've woven the seasons of nature and the seasons in your personal life, in a way we can relate to and feel all the changes you've been going through. I myself usually use the image of spirals, but somewhere in the back of my mind seasons are always there too, representing all cycles.
This is so beautiful. Comforting to know you can each be home to each other regardless who’s around or where in the world. That’s the best! And I feel like Joan, it’s a little rejuvenating gift to read your words and see your paintings as I start my day. Peace!
I absolutely love this piece! It was a great, comforting read, thank you :) It reminded me of what Elif Shafak wrote about nurturing our inner garden in one of her initial pieces on Substack.
Speaking of gardens, a friend and I have created a digital gardening platform called 'Bloom'. The idea was to take a break from social media and create a delightful and calm corner of the internet to share one's thoughts by planting seeds and watering them! You might want to check it out: https://bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xyz/home
Your comparison of shedding stuff to leaves falling from trees is so apt. It will help me to curate decades of household goods and family heirlooms in preparation for a move and a new chapter. I feel lighter already.
You are so brave! When I moved in with my mother, I couldn’t let go of anything. It all went into storage, and there my household sits until the day I will need to leave and let go of her.
Lovely thoughts. Thanks for sharing, and now I have something to meditate upon in shaping myself.
This is so lovely, Candace. You capture perfectly the austere beauty of winter. And I completely relate to the sense of renewal that comes when we leave things behind and start afresh. Thank you for your inspiring and enriching work!
Gosh, yes, so much resonance. I remember doing the same when I moved from the UK to New Zealand. I shipped just 5 boxes and gave everything else away. It felt like a deep cleansing, very freeing, and what I remember most clearly from that time is how many new things flooded into my life in the year that followed to fill the space - new jobs, relationships, furniture, connections. It's said that nature abhors a vacuum and it can be interesting to create a space and then see what shows up. I see this in my garden too - nature doesn't leave things empty for very long 💚
This was a lovely post. A new way to look at major change. Lots to think about and mull over as the seasons, and the garden, of our lives evolves over time. Love the thoughts and pictures, a visual diary. I have started my own visual diary because of your inspiration, and already I find it interesting to see my thoughts and drawings as my life unfolds and I understand the importance of every day.
It made me think of something I remind myself of whenever I feel unsettled or when there’s change on the horizon: I’m my own home.
Thank you, Candace, for these moments of quiet beauty.
Reading each of your essays is like arriving and resting for a bit at a calming oasis. Thank you, Candace. ...and I'm so glad that you and Jose are feathering your new nest and making new friends as you settle into your life in Antwerp.
Lovely essay; so simple and so profound. It reminds me of some of the "winters" in my marriage, the tough times we were truly tested. Jeff told me something, though, that really knocked my socks off. He said a co-worker asked him if he felt loyal to the company. Jeff told him how loyalty to a company has never gelled for him because corporations lay off workers for arbitrary reasons. They are rarely if ever loyal to their workers. He told this co-worker how, instead, he places his loyalty in his wife ... me ... because I've been there supporting him emotional during these layoffs and other trying moments. That's were our beautiful winter garden forms, in trusting and loyalty to each other against a capricious world. Thank you for this essay, Candace.
This is perfect! A few days ago I left a comment on a different newsletter about winter being about unfurling and this was brought to mind again reading your beautiful piece. In the time of our life that is the winter garden we gather our energy, or our loved ones, close to us to prepare for the next season of life which may involve unfurling to our fullest potential. But we cannot do this without the quiet winter garden phase.
"There's beauty in being like a garden in the winter." So lovely. You might say there are no words - but all the words are here, too! And beautiful illustrations, as ever 💕
With tenderness, hope, and honesty, frailty is just another name for strength. This is a beautiful piece!
This was beautiful, Candace, as always. I specially appreciate the way you've woven the seasons of nature and the seasons in your personal life, in a way we can relate to and feel all the changes you've been going through. I myself usually use the image of spirals, but somewhere in the back of my mind seasons are always there too, representing all cycles.
This is so beautiful. Comforting to know you can each be home to each other regardless who’s around or where in the world. That’s the best! And I feel like Joan, it’s a little rejuvenating gift to read your words and see your paintings as I start my day. Peace!
I absolutely love this piece! It was a great, comforting read, thank you :) It reminded me of what Elif Shafak wrote about nurturing our inner garden in one of her initial pieces on Substack.
Speaking of gardens, a friend and I have created a digital gardening platform called 'Bloom'. The idea was to take a break from social media and create a delightful and calm corner of the internet to share one's thoughts by planting seeds and watering them! You might want to check it out: https://bloom.tendtoyourgarden.xyz/home
Your comparison of shedding stuff to leaves falling from trees is so apt. It will help me to curate decades of household goods and family heirlooms in preparation for a move and a new chapter. I feel lighter already.
Very beautiful drawings and the prose.
You are so brave! When I moved in with my mother, I couldn’t let go of anything. It all went into storage, and there my household sits until the day I will need to leave and let go of her.
Lovely thoughts. Thanks for sharing, and now I have something to meditate upon in shaping myself.
This is so lovely, Candace. You capture perfectly the austere beauty of winter. And I completely relate to the sense of renewal that comes when we leave things behind and start afresh. Thank you for your inspiring and enriching work!
I love the way you use space to create rhythm!