GOOD JUJU ONLY
Dezemba is long forgotten, Januworry is over, and now we’re in the month of love! Well, for some of us. I’m not a superstitious person in the least, or a believer in astrology, but I have a very wonky relationship with February. For my entire adult life so far, bad things have happened to me during this month. Really bad. I’m talking about major illness and surgery, burglary, plane crashes and death in the family – that level of bad. Also small stuff, like breaking a favourite mug and a burst geyser. I try not to overthink it as the years pass, but it has become a bit of a compulsion to keep a mental list and wonder where all the bad juju of the last 35 years is coming from.
I start getting nervous about what’s in store for me towards the end of January already, and sometimes, when the last day of February approaches, a sense of relief kicks in that I’ve made it, only to be ruined one year by a car accident on 1 March that landed me in hospital for a night.
This February, I’m determined to focus on the good stuff though, starting with the fact that it is a short month – imagine if my bad month had been a thirty-oner!
But seriously, the past two pandemic years have shown me how resilient I can be (extremely!) and also how not to sweat the small stuff, or even the big stuff. There are solutions to all problems.
It is with great gratitude that I’ve come to realise that no matter what happens, no matter how many plans get cancelled or curve balls come my way, there is a little kernel inside me that is always fundamentally okay and that, at the deepest level, my life is good and rich and filled with love.
So, whenever my mind wants to start listing “disaster/02”, I’m going to remind myself that the best thing in my life also happened in February and it outweighs all the rest. I met my tall, gorgeous German on Valentine’s Day of 1993! Indulge me a little here while I get soppy: it was love at first sight. I swear there was a golden halo around him on our first date. Our connection was instant, and he’s been at my side ever since. That’s all the good juju I need.
So, here’s to the month of love! I’ll be cooking the recipes on page 20 for my husband for sure. Especially that Nutella dessert. Germans are obsessed with the stuff.
Do you have a love story to share? Write to us! We love to hear from you… Enjoy the last bit of summer and remember, our autumn issue is out on 18 March.
Hugs,