January Again, It's a New Year

January, we all know, is a month for resolutions. Resolutions to lose weight, be kinder, make amends, read more, etc. The bustle of the holidays is over and we need to fill our mind with what’s to come; plans, expectations, hopes and dreams.  We look back amazed at how fast the last year passed. We see our babies are no longer babies or our parents aren’t as young and spry as they once were. Others look back on the past year and are glad it’s over, ready for a new start, new things to look forward to.

But what if for just a moment we let go of the plans, expectations, gains, losses and look within.  Ignore the messy kitchen or the arguing siblings in the background, as hard as that may be. Close your eyes for just a moment and see the soul we rarely take the time to get to know. Sit quiet and see the soul in all its glory, waiting patiently and quietly for you to notice it’s still there. Feel the love and energy it holds, the love and energy you sometimes don’t share enough of or that most days you don’t even know is abundant enough for you to give to others.

Now open your eyes and see what the soul sees.  See what we rarely take the time to notice amongst work, carpooling, and dishes.   You are that winter tree outside your window, naked and bare for the world to see, knotted and gnarled yet deeply rooted swaying in the breeze, full of life.  The tree sits patiently in the world around it, waiting for change to come. It’s not expecting, hoping, fearing, or resolving; the tree is just being.  Now back to reality.  You hear your annoying neighbor’s dog barking, the kids are still fighting, and the dishes remain.  But bared to the soul you find everyone around you is weathered and gnarled from life, yet beautiful and radiant if you take a moment to really see within.

Take the time to bare yourself and root deeper this year in knowing that no matter how harsh the weather, how knotted and rough you may be on the outside from life’s toll.  Know that within, your soul is patiently waiting for you to let go of expectations, fears, and broken resolutions and just be. Right now, right here, in this moment. For just a moment be happy just being you.

I wish you all a year full of these moments.