Thursday, January 5, 2012

A Fresh New Year



I’m enjoying the mild temperatures, but I long to wake up to a fresh, thick blanket of white snow covering everything (un-raked brown leaves, dirty slush piled on the side of the road, garbage, and every tree branch, fence post, and sidewalk), just like it did at the end of November.  A fresh snow would go well with the fresh start of the New Year.  

We’ve closed the chapter of another year with all of its trials, troubles, mistakes and muddles.  Just as snow covers up all sorts of messes, the New Year causes our difficulties to disappear from sight as our focus shifts to the clean white page in front of us.  We begin to make plans of all we’d like to do, and the possibilities seem endless.

Of course, just as well-wintered Winnipeggers know that the pristine whiteness will not last forever, we all know that the year ahead will not consist only of ideals met.  In fact, as we leave the portal of New Year’s beginning and forge the path to where we want to go, we may suddenly feel bogged down by the reality of all the hard work required to get to our destination.

What we need to do is take in the beauty all around us and enjoy the journey.  See the squirrel scamper across the snow and up the tree.  Share a laugh with travelling companions.  Maybe even make some snowballs and play a little.  Try not to rush toward the end goal, getting frustrated and irritated at the slowness of it all.  Trust that everything will work out in the end.

It’s not always easy to trust though.  The newness of the snow wears off.  Clumps of snow drop from the branches, cars spit up bits of brown, un-shovelled steps grow slippery as the temperature shifts, and the wind can pick up.  There are dangers and pitfalls ahead in the New Year, no doubt.

If we let the inevitability of problems steal away our joy as we the turn the page of a new year, we rob ourselves of the dual energies of joy and hope to fuel our endeavours.  Joy comes while we’re living in the moment, revelling in all we have and can be thankful for.  Hope looks to the future, trusting that there will continue to be reason for thanks, and therefore, joy.

As I enter this New Year, I am thankful to live in a neighbourhood that allows me affordable housing, a chance to know my neighbours, and the freedom to be myself and follow my dreams without having to conform to an image.  I am hoping to get more involved in making my community a better place to live, and in making my home a safe place for people to gather.

We’ve been given a fresh start called 2012.  Let’s celebrate the New Year and all it will bring.  And let’s ponder how we can participate in our communities to bring goodness, joy, and hope!

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