Cradling New Life: What a Newborn Taught Me About Stillness

Eight hours old

Sometimes a new life enters the world and, without saying a word, invites us to pause. To look inward. To ask ourselves what truly nourishes the soul. For me, this moment happened in a small Wellington flat, holding a new-born.

I have been in Wellington for the last five days, lending my daughter another pair of hands as she welcomes her first child into her life.

Now I’m back home in rural Carterton, contemplating my time away. I find myself asking: How does my soul respond to different environments? I’m noticing the contrast between these two places and reflecting on why I needed to leave the big smoke—the metropolis, the frenzied sense of city life.

City Movement, Rural Stillness

The view from my daughter’s kitchen window was a gift. I could sit in the sun and look north over a plant nursery, and beyond that, open grassland with a small pond in the distance. Directly below the first-floor flat was a busy road, full of constant movement. The other windows looked out across the industrial area of town.

And now, this is what I see: openness, green grass, tall trees, long blades of grass swaying in the breeze. I hear that breeze rustling the leaves, and every now and then the sound of a car—or a tractor—passing by. I feel a gentle warmth on my skin and an overall sense of well-being.

Generally, we choose where we live for our own reasons or circumstances. For me, I thrive on stillness, whatever the environment. I am now very clear about what nourishes me. My family, along with a tranquil space, is a blessing.

Stillness is not a location—it’s something we choose.

The Tenderness of New Life

My heart has been nourished and refreshed by holding a newborn baby in my arms and being with family. It is a reminder of the beauty and incredible creation of new life—fresh, innocent, so small and vulnerable. A newborn invites us to soften, to breathe, and to return to what matters.

Completion

My contemplation has prompted thoughts about how time moves on. As we approach the last month of the year—after what has been a challenging year on many levels—I’m reminded of life’s natural cycles. When one project completes, another often begins. The same applies to the years of our lives.

2025 is the end of a cycle:
2 + 0 + 2 + 5 = 9

Using numerology—a Pythagorean idea that all things can be expressed in numerical terms and reduced to the first nine digits—2025 becomes a 9, the number of completion.

Even if numerology isn’t your thing, the maths is simple:
2025 reduces to 9, and 2026 adds up to 10, which becomes 1 + 0 = 1—a symbol of new beginnings.

When we move up an octave from middle C, the note shifts into a new vibration, a new sound. This is what happens when we move from a 9 year into a new 1 year.

Beginning Again

As we move closer to a new year and a new cycle, perhaps you might reflect on:
What part of me is ready to let go of holding on, to close, or to begin again?

Just as the long grass shifts with the breeze, we too are moved by the seasons of our lives. 2026 invites us into a fresh vibration, a new “1” energy. Being with new life has reminded me how tender, precious, and fleeting each moment is.

Where might you welcome new beginnings into your own life? Make some time to both reflect and be open to renewal before the busyness begins and the year ends.

If you’re seeking more stillness in your life, I’m here to support you on that journey.
With warmth,

Diane

Tranquillity for Wellness