i am running into a new year
and the old years blow back
like a wind
that i catch in my hair
like strong fingers like
all my old promises and
it will be hard to let go
of what i said to myself
when i was sixteen and
twentysix and thirtysix
even thirtysix but
i am running into a new year
and i beg what i love and
i leave to forgive me
~Lucille Clifford
As you run into a new year, what are you carrying? We never enter a new year with the slate wiped clean. Our expectations, aspirations, judgements, promises and resolutions come with us. It becomes harder and harder to carry our ever-expanding load without letting go of that which is no longer helpful or useful to us. The new year presents an opportunity to assess our personal lost and found box. My tendency is to go in search of a larger box, holding tightly to everything, instead of discerning what can be gratefully and gracefully released at this point in my life. Mindfulness can help us notice what we can discard, rediscover what we may have lost through the years, and find unexpected treasures. I invite you to join me in loosening the grip on what we carry this year and discovering what is actually in our lost and found box.
Wishing you a safe, healthy, and mindful new year