New Year's Day

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In truth, January 1, 2021 is just another day that we choose to call "New Year's Day." The things happening in the world and in our lives continue, yet as meaning-seeking people, it is reorienting and energizing to collectively agree, "It's a new year!" It inspires us to make resolutions, and mentally assign things in our past to the old year. We enjoy a sense of the openness and newness of a fresh calendar. Who's not ready for that? When I have had a particularly challenging year, I sometimes ritually burn the calendar of the year gone by, sending it up in smoke and ashes. I recommend it! 

If it is about newness, and finding meaning in the changing year, how do we find meaning, and even glean deeper understanding from the hard times to carry forward? How can we intentionally and mindfully learn from what we have suffered? Sometimes making lists helps. I'm personally not big on New Year's Resolutions, but I do like to take inventory. You might make a few lists titled: "The most important things," "Things that hold me back," and "Things that help me live fully." 

Living through calamity challenges us, and often reveals who we are. This January, take advantage of the turning of the calendar year by mindfully taking inventory. It can serve as a reference point throughout the year, and can be a good check-in later in life. I am ready to say goodbye to much of what 2020 has brought us, but not without participating in my own spiritual growth. Scripture is full of stories of God transforming the challenging times, and here in our own time God will use them for our own growth and for good. 

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