A Different Angle…

A Different Angle…
by Sally Ledgerwood

It’s that time of the year… that time when we make promises to ourselves about what we want to accomplish/be/change/make happen in the coming year. I don’t usually make resolutions, and it’s a good thing I didn’t for 2021 because any plan would not have come even close to how the year unfolded. It was a year filled with “lessons” – a LOT of lessons. And those of us on a path of spiritual and personal growth have a tendency to analyze our experiences so we can find those lessons, those reasons, for why things happen, so we can zero in on the cause and then make improvements/changes so we can be happy. Right?

I am beginning to understand that I might need to have a different angle. Life is a mystery to be lived, not a problem to be solved. So as one year ends and I do a review – I can reflect on what I grieved, what I celebrated, how I spent my time, where I found inspiration, and where I found joy. I can see that the experiences were not the lessons. The lessons were how I went through the experiences, what I felt and how I acted in the moment, what gave me joy, and how I interacted with those around me. How I was in the moment.

One of the phrases I am removing from my thought process is “when life becomes normal again”. I have spouted “new normal” often, but in reflecting back, I can see I might, still, secretly, sometimes, think or hope that things will “go back”. But, that attachment to “how things were” has been hacked at for two years now. I admit I can be slow to get it sometimes, but now I finally hear a gentle voice on the breeze saying maybe this isn’t how it’s supposed to be any more. I know that voice has always been there, but I believe I listen better now.

So, a vision for 2022:
I will use my energy wiser this coming year. I am less willing to use it to come up with meanings for things. I am simply more interested in experiencing the life I have right now, in this place, with these people around me that I care about. I will start my days with gratitude (like I always do), but I will also ask: What can I add to the world today and how can I bring magic back to the ordinary?
I will observe without judging and listen without giving my opinion. I will trust myself (even in doubt), and stand in the sun and smile, and I will see it big, but keep it simple. I will look people in the eyes and See Them. And I will say “I love you” more often.

Blessings, Love and Light and a new vision into 2022…
Sally Ledgerwood