We are in the first days of a New Year. There are hopes for new beginnings; plans for change and improvement; resolutions made... and kept? Time is unwritten, stretching before us. Our hearts are seeking inspiration and healing.
I guess after the ups and downs of 2020, who wouldn't want to seek solace in something better?
Mark Nepo, author and spiritual adviser, wrote:
“To listen is to continually give up all expectations and to give our attention, completely and freshly, to what is before us, not really knowing what we will hear or what that will mean. In the practice of our days, to listen is to lean in, softly, with a willingness to be changed by what we hear.”
I wonder: are we living with the illusion or assumption that anything will change... if we are not willing to change?
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| What conclusions have you written about others? + Click on image to enlarge + (Photo credit: Pickles, Brian Crane, January 1, 2021) |
Time Unwritten is that new year -- and each unlived day, for that matter -- which opens us to new possibilities and opportunities. The question to hold gently and answer honestly is:
Am I willing to see beyond the valleys and hills -- the past offenses, pains, and struggles -- and envision a new day ahead?
The past, I believe, is meant to teach and guide us in future decisions. It is not a place to live!
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| When do you marvel at the grandeur of another person? (Grand Canyon, July 2018) |
Dialogue is both an internal and external process: the learned skills of listening, questioning, and seeking truth... in all of its written and unexplored ways. It is the gifting and unwrapping of Life's Complex Simplicity. It is the willingness, as Mark Nepo stated, to be changed by what we hear... internally and in conversation with others.
In essence, each new moment -- whether a minute, an hour, a day, or each year -- brings us to a choice on how we want to live... imperfectly... with Truth.
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| How might you reshape this new year? (Photo credit: Quotes and Inspiration) |
The questions to consider this new year -- within the shadows of a lingering pandemic's effects, losses, and isolation are:
- How do I choose to live: by working together or staying divided?
- Am I willing to be changed: by what I hear or ignore?
- Can I marvel at the grandeur and beauty of others: by acknowledging and respecting the diversity of others or seeking sameness?
Time is unwritten. We have a choice. On December 31, 2021, what will we say about ourselves?
May our imperfect choices humble us as we learn to live differently in the days ahead.
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| Larry Gardepie (click on link for website) |
What a refreshing perspective to start the new year. Thank you Larry!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Debbie!
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