Happy New Year, friends!
With the turning of the calendar year, another birthday behind me, and in the midst of my father passing and a bout of flu, the time off I normally take during the holiday season (preferably somewhere sunny and warm) didn’t happen this year in the way I had planned. It’s an extended time for reflection and restoration, for stillness that is hard to achieve in a bustling holiday season, or anytime of the year for that matter. It’s an annual ritual that less about goal setting and more about life re/setting. This year, it’s been a deliberate rest and reset of another kind. And, it bestowed many unexpected gifts.
Every year, I choose two words to carry me through the year. I haven’t landed on the words yet, but deliberate is a word I might be carrying closely this year. To be deliberate is about pausing long enough to know why we say “YES!”, or “no,” to what we wish to do and following that instinct with a full-hearted commitment. It’s about aligning daily actions with intention, letting an unhurried and purposeful presence take the reins instead of surrendering to habit (or more precisely, autopilot activity). Deliberate doesn’t mean rigid. It leaves room for spontaneity and synchronicity, but isn’t overrun by impulse or conforming to the crowd. To be deliberate is to be discerning. It’s knowing how to your spend time and energy, a compass pointing where to focus, both up close and on the horizon. It’s less about decision-making than it is about knowing oneself well enough to trust your heart so that the center stands strong, even, and especially, in the midst of storms.
Last year was filled with many good things, for which I am grateful, but it was also taxing in other ways, and left me feeling exhausted. Some years are like that. As artists, we keep creating. We find beauty where we can. We seek it out when we are able. We make it devotedly without question - for ourselves and others. Beauty is the foundation of a well-lived life, and should never be left behind, no matter the circumstances.
A beautiful life doesn’t just happen. We write down our intentions. We visualize the outcomes we desire. We assemble good people around us. We take deliberate action. I am a maker by nature, but I also leave space for magic-making to play its part. I like to think of life as a continuous iteration, refining as we go. This becomes our evolution. And, we must not forget, as Liza suggests, “to celebrate the possibilities.” The things we can’t yet imagine. The experiences that will open our heart. The small and significant moments that bring meaning to our lives. They might not be what we had imagined, but they might be exactly what we need.
So as you step into these next 365 days (less a few) remember that you don't need all the answers. You only need a willingness to listen more deeply. To what is asking to be tended. To what feels essential. May you move forward with intention that is rooted in kindness, towards yourself and others. May you honor beauty. You don't have to have a clear plan or path laid out. You simply have to remember the rituals that make life beautiful. To show up, do the work, and be useful (a card straight from the encouragement deck.) And, I will add another line to that card this year, “to celebrate the possibilities.”
Wishing you a year of beautiful possibilities.
X Alisa
Photo credit: Terry O'Neill