Letter from the Editor
It’s the start of a new year, and with that comes the inevitable urge to make New Year’s Resolutions, wipe the slate clean and start anew. Every year I make a long list of resolutions, usually influenced by such Hollywood heavyweights as Dr Oz (“eat less sugar”) or Oprah (“live your best life”). But despite this sage advice inevitably, come February, most of these resolutions have quickly fallen by the wayside.
So this year, I am looking to a far humbler – and perhaps more realistic – source for guidance as to how I should approach 2012: my goldfish, Marguerite. Marguerite lives in a brandy barrel on my veranda and is the third in a short line of fishies who have inhabited this brandy soaked aquarium. First there was Lambert, so called because he was indeed something of a sacrificial lamb, being the first to test out the barrel… and in winter. Sadly, Lambert didn’t last long. Next there was Whale, a leviathan of a goldfish, who would rise up from the depths and surface – you guessed it – rather like a whale. Unfortunately, he committed suicide one day and had to be buried under the lavender bush.
Marguerite came at the same time as Whale but, unlike her predecessors, has flourished in her treacle coloured home, and several years later I still derive great pleasure from watching her happily whipping around her pond. Recently, as I was watching her playing with a stray lily pad, I thought it might be quite nice to be a goldfish. But as that clearly isn’t possible, perhaps it’s almost as good to try to live like one.
So here, without further ado, are Marguerite’s lessons on life:
1) Be resilient. As officially the last fish standing, Marguerite is a good lesson that even though you may not be able to choose the brandy barrel you end up in, you can certainly make the most of it, and even flourish along the way.
2) It’s okay to hide from the world sometimes. When the weather is cold or a pesky cat is lurking around, Marguerite just retreats to the bottom of her barrel and waits for a better day.
3) Make the most of the good times. Come sunny weather, and Marguerite springs to life at the top of her barrel, whipping around with all the joie de vive of a goldfish half her age – and shaking her pretty tail as she does it. Which brings us to number four:
4) If you’ve got it flaunt it. And if you happen to be orange (fake tan debacle anyone?), be the best damn orange you can be!
5) Be grateful for what you receive. Whether you rely on someone else to metaphorically shake the fish flakes into your barrel, or are just lucky enough to have a barrel to call your own, count your blessings every day and acknowledge those who help you (even if it’s only with a swish of your tail).
6) Never forget the importance of sun protection. Slap on the sun block or chill under a nearby lily pad when it gets a little hot out there.
7) Even goldfish need to play… as do busy mothers, corporate heavy weights and responsible elders. Give yourself the excuse this year to let go and play a little. And if you need some inspiration as to how, you can always take a leaf out of Marguerite’s book and head butt a lily pad or two!
Happy 2012 everyone!
Nicky
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