The Muse Letter

The Muse Letter

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The Muse Letter
The Muse Letter
This Is Still Winter

This Is Still Winter

The Muse Letter No. 82

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Sophia Hembeck
Jan 09, 2022
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The Muse Letter
The Muse Letter
This Is Still Winter
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Seaside Village in Winter, from Hokusai’s Album of Realistic Pictures (Hokusai shashin gafu)

I knew this would happen, it happens every time after I take a long break: I am reluctant to dip my toe into the water again. Not because I don’t want to be immersed by cool liquid life but because after a while of standing on the side line you begin to wonder about all the possibilities on how to do it: Jumping in head first / feet first / elegantly gliding or smashing with your bum hitting the surface. You start to think about who you want to be, who you were, if you’re still able to perform a backwards flip?

– And then it’s Saturday evening and aubergines are gently cooking in tomato sauce and you realise that hibernation is over and work has to start again: now.

This is still winter. I’ve been thinking about that for the past days. It got colder in Scotland, the coldest it has been so far this year and the pavements are slippery and going out for five minutes to the shops has to be debate…

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