I automatically feel like it’s the new year, because my gym in L.A. is suddenly packed. Messages of “New Year, New You” are everywhere and resolutions are abundant.
“New” does carry its own appeal. But just as we have a new year, new month, and new day, we also are rewarded with new moments. In a breath, we can change our minds, our attitude, and our entire lives.
In reflecting on the past year with a dear Icelandic friend, we both made note of the violence that seemed to characterize 2014. In many ways, it felt that we took steps backwards with regards to human and civil rights. Just as yin has yang, I also felt 2014 was punctuated by love. Many couples I know became engaged, married, or had new babies enter the world. There was joy amidst the sadness, as there always is. But my thoughts about the new year are characterized by this zen koan:
The only peace you will find on the top of a mountain is the peace you bring with you.
I feel that 2015 will be calmer and characterized by more peace. Quite simply because I think people are worn out. (haha!) But also believe that once we (re-)learn that violence only begets more violence, we (as a society) will look for more peaceful approaches. We will begin to remember that everything we experience in life is a reflection of who we are. Then we know that to achieve peace, we must become peace.
So instead of wishing you a Happy New Year…please allow me to be the first to wish you a Happy New Moment…filled with peace and love ;)
Photo source: A climber descending an alpine glacier by Andy Teasdale