New Month, New Year, New Decade

Photo: L. Weikel

The turning of the year this year feels momentous. I’d like to say I’ve taken a lot of time this week to reflect and contemplate not only on the past decade and year but also on the year and decade ahead. But I’d be blowing smoke.

That’s not to say that I’m not going to engage in these activities tomorrow. But I’m a little disappointed that I haven’t…yet.

All in Good Time

I’ve noticed a resistance within myself to even writing as much in my journal as I usually do. Perhaps it’s because it’s the end of the decade. Or perhaps it’s because I sense a lot of big changes ahead.

Every time I see a window of half an hour or so and find myself thinking, “I want to write in my journal,” I pick up my notebook and feel a very unusual sense of being stymied. There’s some deep stuff rumbling very, very deep down, deep in the cavernous nooks and crannies of my heart and soul. Either that or <<poof>> there’s nothing left.

I haven’t decided.

There’s some really wonderful personal stuff to look forward to in 2020. Perhaps I should focus on that because, very uncharacteristically, I’m finding I don’t even dare think about the bigger stuff that may or may not unfold in the world.

I sit here yearning to be optimistic. I want to feel good, deep down, about where we’re headed. But a weary part of me suggests we’ve been here and done this already, and the lessons haven’t been learned. And even worse, I look around and witness more and more willful ignorance, more and more deliberate refusal to seeing what’s right before our eyes.

I was in a room full of millenials this evening. We played Cards Against Humanity, laughed a lot, and enjoyed each other’s company in what’s become our unique version of a New Year’s tradition, which we’ve cultivated over the last ten years or more. We rang the new decade in and suddenly, it seemed, the desire for sleep demanded immediate attention. The quiet that preceded the decision to get some rest was precipitated by me asking them what they feel the coming decade holds for them. The uncertainty of what the future holds was palpable.

Quiet

There’s work to be done ahead of all of us. Attention to be paid – both to where we’re going and how we’re going to deal with the consequences of where we’ve been.

This decade is momentous. I just can’t escape this conclusion. And yes, every decade is, in its own way. But if we’re paying attention, we know the tipping point is teetering underneath our feet. And it’s not just a tipping point for one major challenge. We’re surrounded by them: issues and challenges that have knocked on our doors for years and years, and because we refused to answer, have now become crises. It’s a tipping point for us.

But I want to be my optimistic self. I want the next ten years to be a transformation – an evolution – of the way we live on and with the Earth, and with each other as well.

We can do this. We can come together. We can decide to look at our situation and choose to work together to change it all.

Even if we’re in for even more upheaval before we break through to the next level, we must remember the power in solidarity. And it’s the solidarity of love that’s the greatest force. That’s what will help us let go of what no longer serves and hold onto what’s truly important.

Let’s make every day in this decade count.

EoP BioDiversity Project

And to that end, don’t forget to set aside the (literal) minute it will take to do the EoP strengthening exercise with Essence of Perelandra on the 1^stday of January. You’ll recall I’ve encouraged this practice every single first of the month for many months now. You can read about it here and here and here.

Even taking this one little step and committing to joining the force of your energy with those of others all over the world every first of the month will have a huge effect on shifting the trajectory of the decade we’ve just entered.

Every step counts. Every commitment counts. Every smile counts. Every decision to make a difference counts.

Together, we can achieve anything.