the New Year!

At sundown on September 5 a New Year began.  The thoughts of renewal and rememberance bring me both relief at the luxury of starting with a fresh palate - new paints and new choices and some sadness.  I will not dwell on the ending but look to the newness.

Sometimes these opportunities to begin afresh are frightening.  Will I make wise choices?  Will I take advantage of the resources I have and take a few risks?  Am I ready to expand my horizons in this new year?

I just read this wonderful quote that I must share:  "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." - Mark Twain

It was this thought from that very wise humorist that brought thoughts of taking advantage of the new challenges this year will bring.  In addition to the above message, I must remind myself: step out and take those chances that are before me.

And breathe.

L'shona tova.

It's Over

Well, summer.  Labor Day and those "free days" of summer are gone for this year.

Sometimes the idea of returning to that daily grind or the same issues we left back in May when we celebrated Memorial Day can be pretty disheartening.  More of the same old, same old.

Or maybe not.  Maybe this Fall we are willing to see this end of summer as a new beginning.  A time when we might actually look at those old issues lurking behind that door as not an obstacle but a challenge.

Sometimes it really is a matter of simply changing the way we define the condition.  If we can call that frustrating situation a challenge, as an opportunity to repair rather than ignore, we can look at the issue with new eyes.

What resources do we need to change the way we have been approaching this situation?  What skills do we bring to this old problem that we did not use previously?

Breaking out of a rut doesn't mean letting go of everything we've been doing but doing it in a different way, looking at a solution we never tried before.

Think about changing the way in which you view the challenge.  Perhaps  you have always looked at it from North and South.  Now you are willing to view it from East and West as well as from North and South.

Keep breathing.

sometimes the sunniest days are the worst

I know.  The worst days are the ones where the weather is perfect, where there is no pressure to make that telephone call or finish that project.  Because you are at risk, because you can only think of doing something, anything, to stop the pain, start with this simple action:  STOP.

Stop

Take a deep breath.

Observe (even if observing is painful, observe and continue to gently breathe)

Proceed.

Now you are a bit closer to allowing yourself to recognize that you do have choices.  You have the choice of acknowledging that there are some things in your life you wish you could change, or forget AND you have the choice to recognize something as simple as the sun is shining and you can feel the breeze on your face.

STOP.  Stop now and be kind to yourself.  Let yourself feel sad and know that your health and welfare matter to a lot more people than you realize.