deep peace, however you imagine it

 

I'm not a fan of making New Year's Resolutions. It's a time-consuming process that smacks of self-discipline, grim determination, and Herculean effort...and it often ends in failure. So, last year, I turned my attention to wishful thinking. This has a more optimistic ring to it. It suggests we believe...or hope...that the new year holds limitless possibility for us...the possibility that good will come to us, that our burdens will be lifted, that help is available. It enables us to envision a world at peace, to imagine an end to poverty and hunger, to hope for an elusive cure, to pray for an end to suffering. 

Unfortunately, that didn't seem to work too well, either...given the fact that the shift toward world peace, compassion, and caring I was wishing for never materialized. Instead, we witnessed an escalation in greed, cruelty, and bigotry that fed into war, poverty, and pain. Fear. Dread. Despair.

So...what now? 

If 2024 was a difficult year for you...because of illness or loss, because of hunger or homelessness, because of loneliness, or failure, or rejection, or simply because you stay abreast of the news...how will you navigate 2025? Because, trust me, we will be tested. We will witness heartbreaking cruelty toward immigrant families and children. We will see an uptick in preventable diseases affecting our children. The LGTBQ+ community will suffer. We will feel the pain of racism, misogyny, injustice, and greed. We already feel it. And, we will feel helpless to change it. We already do.

Which is why I believe that self-care will be more important than ever in the New Year. 

"Self care is a divine responsibility."

~Danielle LaPorte~

This may include a few traditional resolutions like exercising more, improving your diet, or balancing your budget...but it involves so much more. Here is some advice for the New Year from people I admire and respect:

"Be good to yourself. 

If you don't take care of your body, where will you live?"

~Kobi Yamada~

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"Tell the negative committee that meets inside your head

to sit down and shut up."

~Ann Bradford~

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"Release your majestic mind,

embrace your untamed spirit,

break free from captivity..."

~Melanie Muller~

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"Whatever is good for your soul, 

do that."

~Attribution unknown~

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"Everybody should be quiet

near a little stream and listen."

~Christopher Robin~

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"Tell your story

with your whole heart."

~Brene Brown~

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"Keep close to Nature's heart...

and break clear away once in a while,

and climb a mountain or spend a week

in the woods.

Wash your spirit clean."

~John Muir~

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"Walk as if you are kissing the earth

with your feet."

~Thich Nhat Hanh~

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"Never stop questioning."

~Albert Einstein~

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That's just for starters. Above all, remember this:

"The bad news is: a lot can change in a year.

The good news is: a lot can change in a year."

~Attribution unknown~

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In the meantime, my New Year's wish for you is for deep peace, however you imagine it, whatever it takes for you to embrace a few moments of it, whomever you choose to share it with. 

Take good care of yourself and those you love in the New Year.

Remember that those who are difficult to love need it, too...

~Elaine Hagenberg~

Deep peace of the winter solstice to you.

Deep peace of the falling snow to you.

Deep peace of the love of friends to you.

Deep peace of the gentle deer to you.

Deep peace of the moon and stars to you.

~author unknown~

jan