Reflections on the Winter Solstice
Winter is officially here (for much of the world). That means that today is the shortest day of the year - and for the next six months, each day will be a filled with a little more sunlight. As I sit down to reflect on the past year (just like I did last year), I am thinking about the notion that life is filled with opportunities to make meaning. It is so easy to let time pass without paying attention - and suddenly the days, months, and years fly by. We know it all moves so fast - and, we also know how fragile life is. So on this day, I’m pausing to reflect on the past, present and future.
Past: Whenever I look at a period of time, I try to ground myself in the Buddhist saying: life is filled with 10,000 joys and 10,000 sorrows. When I think about the past, my mind often goes to the hard and challenging moments. When that happens, I notice is. I re-ground myself. And I remind myself to focus on the good. Yes, there were many hard moments this year - surviving the infant stage, grappling with work challenges, facing another hip surgery, and so many more. And yet - there were so many sweet moments. Watching my baby grow into a mischievous and adorable toddler, starting a new role at work, expanding my coaching practice, traveling to Brazil to see our family, and watching my daughter thrive. My theme for 2022 was show up and surrender. And I think I did just that.
Present: My family celebrates Christmas, and we are now just a few days away. I was listening to the We Can Do Hard Things podcast yesterday, and Glennon started by saying: this is the most time of the year. I laughed while listening, because it felt so very true. To me, this is such a joyful time of year, and is can be such an exhausting, pressure-filled, comparison-heavy, missing people, how can I possibly do it all, time of year. It is, indeed, the most. So I have decided to just let go. I am focusing on what brings me joy, trying to let things be a little less perfect (a never-ending journey for me), and having a lot of fun. I must say, our new-ish tradition of The December Game has been one of the best things in our household. So, I will continue to practice staying present, finding joy, and letting some of that pressure go.
Future: I recently saw a meme that said something like, “Nobody is saying that 2023 is going to be their year.” I laughed, and then got to thinking. Why can’t it be my year? Why can’t every year be our year? Life is so very short, and we never know what will happen. So let this be our year.
As always, I began thinking about my upcoming yearly theme last month, and I have already decided what it’s going to be - I’m really excited for it (I’ll share here on January 1st!). Just after Christmas, I will be going through my 14-Day Goal Reset Process, to make sure I’m starting the year strong by working on what’s most important to me. And, I’ll be making the most progress to date on my 101 in 1001 list, since after 2023, I’ll have just over two months left to complete it, before launching my next. There are good things - and hard things - in the future, and I’m here for all of it. Because most importantly, my reflections today are reminding me what a gift life is. Wishing every person reading this a peaceful solstice, a joy-filled season, and many good things ahead.
