Before We Go Into The New Year…

Goals that are attainable and measurable are important. They give us the incentive we so badly need to stay focused in our distracted age. Yet, goals don’t guarantee happiness or fulfillment. Momentary excitement? Yes! Lasting joy and meaning? Maybe. So, let’s be cautious about anchoring our worth, our identity, our soul to achieving the goals we set.

New beginnings are great. They give us air to breathe and space to dream again. Like looking at untouched snow, our hearts swell at the new possibilities we can carve for ourselves. Yet, this is a temporary state. What is new will soon be the dreary, mundane existence we escaped from. So let’s learn contentment. Not to make the best of where we are, but to undermine the tyranny of always wanting to be somewhere else.

Regret is a painful thing. It pits us against a past we cannot change but so desperately want to. Regret is heartache. Regret is tragedy. Regret is also a misunderstood teacher who many choose to ignore. She reminds us that we can survive our selfish decisions in order to make better ones. But, like all classes, we eventually need to graduate and progress to the next grade. So let’s not repeat this grade because the longer we dwell on regret, the smaller our world gets.

Lastly, let’s open our door a little bit wider to the different and strange. Let’s love ourselves better and take a little less “selfies”. Let’s keep good secrets to ourselves and share good meals with others. Let’s take rests from the static of social media and listen to the wisdom that may be found in silence. Together, let’s embrace anonymity as a gift and not a curse. We are a mystery wrapped in flesh that deserves to be nurtured, not dissected. And know that you are loved, you are loved, you are loved…