Last night as many folks awaited the dropping of the ball in Times Square, or the lowering of the tortilla in Arizona, or the peach in Georgia, or the live possum (yes, possum) in North Carolina, I was far into dream land. I was pretty certain the new year would come along whether or not I was awake at midnight. Instead I got a good night’s rest and awoke at my usual early hour to enjoy the quiet that accompanies the dawn of the day and the peacefulness of a holiday.
It gave me time to reflect on what a nice time I had last evening—the last night of 2013. There was no big wild party, instead I spent it with a friend who joined me by an outdoor fire where we sipped a tad of the bubbly and tossed into the fire all those things we did not wish to carry into the new year. We had many of the old standbys—such as guilt. I, for one, will be letting go of guilt from now until the cows come home—guilt in not doing enough for others, guilt in not achieving goals I laid out, guilt in not being the best I could be, and so on. Dropping the written scraps of admonishments into the flames was cathartic but it also started focusing on a list of personal shortcomings. Were we really in need of so much self improvement? Are any of us? When I traveled in my mind to releasing something else, I landed on resistance. I needed to release my tendency to resist. Releasing resistance wasn’t so much a shortcoming as it was a positive focus that encompasses more than just one attribute.
Each year many of us make grand plans for bettering ourselves, but maybe we don’t need so much improving as we need awareness and acceptance of who we are, where we are. I have no doubt this year will offer a time or two for me to feel guilty, for me to wish I had acted or done something differently, but in the same breath I can also say this year gives me an opportunity not to only self improve but to self accept. And when I do that I release resisting who I am and where I am. As we all start fresh on this new year, be willing to not resist. For whatever the year holds, we can only hope to receive it if we are wide open.