They say it’s time for resolutions, for regrouping, reframing, a new year, new start.
They say we should organize our desks, calendars, commitments.
They say we should set goals.
But sitting in winter’s pause, from the darkness around solstice to the season of Christmas and beyond, I don’t want to go back to haste for haste’s sake. I am weary of hustle. And I wonder…how might a new year begin for those of us without clean desks or vision boards? Can we find magic in taking our time?
How might 2025 unfold and unfurl in its own way?
Regardless of what they say, 2025 will last exactly as long as 2024. We won’t speed our lives along by powering through them in the manner of a friend who once described herself as an “Energizer Bunny” during daytime hours. We need space to wonder and wait, and we should expect to find magic there too.
These early days of 2025 are still the middle place, where we sit in the tension of the between - the old year and the new, the possibility and the outcome, the now and the not yet. So, like artist Anna Brones, I am striving to embrace this time of changing, instead of beating myself up for not yet ready fully living the change. (for a free 1 month subscriptions to Anna’s Creative Fuel newsletter message me - I have several)
Often, in between moments, we see and feel the rivers of life flowing around us. It may seem as if the crowds armed with checklists and resolute with intention, are destined to pass us by. But it is good to allow ourselves to be in process, to take our time. Instead of the “Energizer Bunny” advocates, I am following the friend who affirmed this early part of the year as a “Blessed On-ramp.”
Maybe it would do us good to recognize some of the voices welcoming this new year more softly and gently:
I’ve been …
following writer, Mikayla Blackler, who in, Living to Stay Awake, tuned into her Buddhist teachings to to lift the weight of progress.
noticing how Emily and Rachel, the duo behind Golden May, editing and coaching for writers, highlight mindset to banish shame from our goal-setting processes; how Matt Bell leans into reflection to yield retention, and Julie Hedlund, author cheerleader/creator of the 12x12 Picture Book Challenge, advocates for fun.
accepting that maybe, in the words of Kate Bowler this should be “Try January” rather than a season of grand accomplishment.
No matter who you are reading or listening to, They say a lot of things about how you will, should, or want to go along, for the next days or the year ahead or forever. But the truth is, the river of life trickles as well as flows; sometimes, it rushes over rapids, but other times it meanders. We never know when we may get caught up in an eddy and find ourselves circling backward or become hung up on a log or dam. Sometimes, we need to bide time in a rock garden rather than chart our course over the waterfall.
So, while we will ever be surrounded by what They say, we are all going to fly through or float through our life in motion. We’ll rejoin the stream in our own time, proceed at our own pace, and go through (or sit in) our own middle places.
Consider the words of this reflection ritual, from transformational leadership coach, Christine Arylo:
The act of creating space, slowing down, pausing
Is not one of slacking, selfishness or greed, but a daring choice of self-love
Your body, mind and body were built to pause,
For more than a few moments...
Imagine even when taking a pause seems improbable or impossible
You had the super power to tune into the natural pauses of the earth
And match your body, spirit and mind to it’s nourishing rhythm…
What magic ?!
Happy New Year! I’d love to hear about your “blessed on-ramps” !
I LOVE setting goals and doing all the things THEY say but...I've also found that the coolest bits of my life have happened totally by surprise (as if my magic!)
I love the idea of the beginning of the year as an "on-ramp," with time to wonder and wait! My goals and vision board are still a messy work in progress.