The New Year has arrived

But let's not rush into it.

The last week of the year is a time that I like to savor. I try to sink into a comfortable spot where I can read as many books and eat as much chocolate as I want. But I feel the new year peeking around the corner, offering the chance for a clean slate and maybe the idea that it would be good to clean the house to get a really fresh start.

Most years I have a few things I’d like to add or work toward in January and I often do, but just as often they are nice ideas that never actually happen. I find it hard not to get caught up in the hope and opportunity that the idea of the new year offers.

It’s possible that I’ve finally accepted that new year’s dreams don’t automatically happen when the calendar turns. As January goes on, they can easily get lost in the daily life that never really stops. More than a decade as a parent has shown me that some days, weeks, or moments I do better, I respond in the ways that feel good and the ways that I want to. Other times I keep doing the thing that I’m trying to get away from and but maybe, over time, I slide just a few millimeters closer to where I want to be. There are days when I can accept that I really am trying my best, that I am enough and I don’t have to be anything else. And there are many times when I feel like I can never get it right.

It may not be possible to feel completely satisfied with the way things are and who we are. But we can be open to accepting our lives and ourselves just as they are, knowing that our human curiosity and desire to learn and grow will always keep us from settling and becoming stagnant. If we lean into these natural tendencies and trust that when we are ready growth will happen, then we don’t have to live with the constant push to do better and more that often permeates our culture, especially this time of year.

It is easy to appreciate and value the achievers, the hard workers who bring their dreams to life and reveal them to the world in big visible ways. But for those of us who take much smaller steps, let’s remember those things whispered or shouted in frustration or hope, I wish I could… or Why can’t I… And months, or years, later see how far you’ve come? Be open to the quiet realization that you are slowly making your way to where you want to be.

Warmly,

Anna