Well, here we are, sliding right into a brand new year.
“How do you feel about that?” I asked myself.
It turned into a long conversation. I mulled over a bunch of emotions that rose up as I contemplated the question. Excited. Hopeful. Indifferent. Open. Maybe, given the state of the world, a little scared.
“How do you want to feel about it?” myself said to me.
I finally decided that the idea of being open to it appealed to me the most. It felt like a shaky little openness. Kind of fragile. But still, I wanted to choose it above the others responses. I want to welcome every moment of life, whatever it holds.
So I say to myself that I definitely choose openness. And myself says back to me, “Prove it. Say ‘Bring It On! ‘”
I have to gulp first, and my voice barely comes out at all. But I say it. “Bring It on, New Year. Bring whatever you hold. And I will be open to it, and accept it with as much integrity and grace as I can muster.”
To my surprise, all of a sudden I flash back to a young friend who used to ride with me in my car. Lori would help gauge the traffic at intersections, and when a break would appear she would shout, “Go NOW! It’s your only chance!” I laugh picturing her flashing eyes and wind-blown hair.
But hers is a phrase worth remembering. Whatever you want to do or be, now is your only chance to do or be it.
Yesterday’s gone and tomorrow isn’t here yet. We can’t even be sure it’s going to come. Or that the next ten minutes will happen. Now truly is your only chance.
Even if you don’t do well what it is that you’re hoping to do, now is your only chance to do it, to be it. To practice it.
I like the fact that “practice” means both a regular exercise or rehearsal and a performance. We do something over and over, by intention, with the hope of mastering it.
So I will practice openness. It’s one of those things that it’s better to do clumsily than to do not at all. And the more I practice, the better I’ll get at it.
I thought I’d mention this idea of practicing and doing it now because even if you don’t make New Year’s resolutions or set goals (and few of us actually do), we all end up thinking about the things we’d like to be or do differently, with more focus, more art, more efficiency, greater commitment.
If we decide to keep these ideals top of mind, we’ll find opportunities to practice them everywhere. Go ahead. Try it and see. Pick something you want to achieve and make a full, conscious choice to keep it in mind. Then watch what the world does in response.
I hereby give you this virtual clone of my friend Lori shouting, “Go NOW! It’s your only chance!” Close your eyes and I bet you can hear her right now. See? Cool, hey? You’re welcome.
She’ll activate whenever the world presents you with opportunities to practice your practice of being who you want to be.
Just imagine what could happen! Ready for anything? If you are, prove it. Say right out loud: Bring It on!
Wishing you all that you hold to be good, beautiful and true for you, materializing day by day, by day, throughout the coming year.
Warmly,
Susan
Image by Freepic.com