Although time is our own invention it seems to serve us well – at least most of the time. And just as we need our Mondays (to clean, get organized and start fresh in little ways), we need a new year for a fresh start in bigger ways and to bring closure to the previous one. That way we don’t have the impression of existing in an endless timeless cloud. I know, New Year’s resolutions usually quickly dissolve. Still, they are important, especially if we are not used to taking stock during the year. It’s good to pause and breathe and assess where we have gone in the past year and where we ‘d like to go in the coming year and years. So make a plan. Here’s to 2013!
the spirit of Christmas
Though I love watching everyone unwrapping presents (and unwrapping some myself, too), good food, the glow of Christmas candles and the sight of the Christmas tree, the highlight of Christmas Eve this year surely was the annual Christmas Eve gathering at Warwick’s Old School Baptist Meeting House. In the twenty years we have lived here we never attended this event because of our own Christmas Eve family routine. But several people mentioned it this year, and I listened.
Sharing this event with so many familiar faces in this historic and picturesque white church on top of the hill right in the center of our beautiful town was simply magical. It was a spiritual event because it nourished the soul, even though it was not a church service. And our mayor said so aptly in his address: “There is nowhere I would rather be than right here.” I couldn’t have agreed more and I am so grateful to be living in one of the greatest little towns on earth.
crazy times - creative times
Crazy times here on earth! Between the end of the Mayan calendar, the insane shooting last week, and all the other serious problems we have created - environmental, cultural, nutritionally, agriculturally and so on - it is a pretty chaotic world. But it is also an insanely creative and opportune time to awaken and turn things around (before it truly is too late). Like in a huge thunderstorm, where warm and cold air masses collide, the old and new are colliding in front of our eyes. There are so many conservative and fundamentalist movements out there composed of people afraid of change, confused by what is going on, and who would like to take refuge in the old known ways. And then there are the new movements, from the Occupy movement, to the Arab Spring, to the many women’s lib initiatives all over the world. I mean a woman, albeit conservative, was just elected to the Korean presidency! Because 12/21/2012 and the end of the Mayan calendar usher in a new consciousness, 2013, more than any other new year in recent times, is a grand opportunity to follow your heart, make sweeping changes in your life, make a difference in the world, in your community, for yourself, and move this evolving consciousness along and in the direction of a better world, a more cooperative world, a more compassionate world, a more creative world, a saner and healthier world.
mirror mirror
Did you ever wonder why the world may seem full of wonder and beauty one day, and perhaps gray and miserable the next? It’s the same world after all, the world hasn’t changed suddenly.
We see the world through our emotions, or I could say that the world reflects back to us our state of mind. If you have never thought about it in this way, it might seem far fetched or even crazy. What, there is no objective world out there that “is the way it is?” No, everything is in the eyes of the beholder. Even quantum physics says so.
Think about it. If you have endured a calamity, or you are simply down and out, the world appears utterly bleak to you. Yet, the same world simultaneously appears full of magic to someone freshly in love. We tend to blame people, situations or the state of affairs of our world for our experiences; we put the cause outside ourselves. In reality it works the other way round. We attract or get mirrored our state of mind through interaction with our environment. A shift in emotions, a shift in beliefs and values, shifts how we experience everything around us.
Looking at your experiences, your life, from this amazing perspective opens up a world of possibilities for spiritual growth.
'tis the season - stress less, enjoy more
I have to remind myself of that between writing Christmas cards, buying presents (we have simplified our life by buying only for the children in our family – it’s not like the adults need more stuff), attending school concerts (I like those, the atmosphere is always very festive, and music inevitably boosts my mood), daughter telling me we need to bake Christmas cookies (I don’t need that stress in my life right now), planning her birthday party (Harry Potter this year, can’t do away with the birthday party, for sure), and various Christmas and New Year’s dinners (that’s with people, but of course it is easier on me if we get invited than if I have to do the inviting, and planning, and cooking). 
So, the part I really enjoy about all of this, always, ever – is the people, the conviviality, the togetherness, the sharing. I like a good conversation over reasonably good food and wine (I am not too picky when get invited, that is a real treat in itself). Think about it – it really is about our relationships and interactions with people. The other holiday stuff we fill our lives with is self-induced stress brought on by social conventions and feelings of obligation. So it is good to pick and do that which brings us joy and satisfaction and eliminate the rest from our life (I wished I could eliminate all the chauffeuring I do for the kids in the afternoons, it makes for a very unproductive part of my day).
