I had heard several years ago the concept of celebrating the New Year on one's birthday, and it makes sense to me. If our lives are cyclical (or, an upward spiral, as some suggest), then it would make sense that the cycle begins on one's birthday (which for me was yesterday). Not January 1st, January 28th if you're Chinese, or sometime in September if you're Jewish.
I never really thought much about the new year before. It always seemed to be SSDY - same stuff, different year. I could count on a great deal of misery coming my way, and the only thing different would be the form it took. That's what made life interesting - will I be incarcerated? What job will I lose? Maybe I'll finally die! Yeah, not a real good outlook.
Fortunately, recovery gives me things to look forward to, and living by spiritual principles is great because I can never get them down perfectly. So, in general, I expect a year filled with challenging experiences leading to an even greater appreciation of life, including my own.
Specifically, here are some of the things I'd like to work on:
- Treating my body more respectfully and lovingly by consistently eating healthier and continuing to gain physical strength;
- Continuing to treat my mind better by becoming more choosy with the thoughts I allow to reside there;
- Continuing to grow in the self-discipline area, with emphasis on vocational training and fiscal responsibility;
- Continuing to release fear and become more open to giving and receiving love from my fellow human beings.
Other than that, not much. But seriously, I'm about to cry now because this is the first time in my entire life that I'm really looking forward to the adventure instead of wondering how I'll muddle through.
Thank you so much to my fellow travelers for your kindness and support!
Namaste,
Ken
No comments:
Post a Comment