And welcome to winter in this part of the world.
Lots of endings this time of year, right alongside new beginnings, hopes and intentions. And this is a lovely way to consider all of the coming possibilities:
"And now welcome the
new year!
Full of things that have never been."
(Rainer Maria Rilke)
What if we decide to chart a new course for Our Selves this coming year? It need not be something grand that involves upheaval and upset. It can actually be a series of small steps, perhaps just outside your comfort zone. No huge leaps, just consistent choices that are different from what we'd usually opt for.
For instance, if you take the same daily route, mix it up and take another one; if you make the same recipe over and over, substitute an ingredient or try an entirely new recipe; if you always do something with your right hand, do it with your left one instead.
Now let's branch out a bit. If you've always wanted to learn something: dancing, a game, a language, a craft, a skill, give it a a try. What is the absolute worst that could happen? You might not have two left feet afterall, or you might have a knack for poker, or the hands for knitting, or a great French accent, and so on...
In making these choices, there are all kinds of unforeseen gifts along the way: new possibilities, new connections, new potentials, new ways of being, new thoughts, ideas, concepts, new experiences. The take away here is the word "new".
How easily can you "Welcome the New Year"? (2:12), and things that have never been?
