Pacific Grove, California
It rained hard last night. Today is January 1st, the arbitrary start of another spin around our star. So, what shall we make of this new beginning? I want to free myself of grieving over the condition of the world, of wracking myself up over things I can’t change. When I close my eyes and let go, my mind is alive with color and light. The moment is like the aftermath of a storm, with debris stacked in piles and scattered about. But there’s a calmness, like the day after a disaster, where looking back does no good, so we look forward, always forward.
There’s a trick to starting over. The moment we decide to liberate is the moment when what came before no longer matters, when the chains of the past fall away, and we are finally able to see the world as it is. The most important thing is to appreciate this fresh morning after a hard rain. The sun is shining, the plants and trees seem to be singing with life, and birds flit about with excitement I can only describe as joy.
Why do I keep my curtains closed? Open a window and let in the fresh air, scented with that undefinable snap we only get after a good storm. The air is cold and damp this morning, but somehow, it promises a future, warmer days to come, spring flowers and trees bursting with budding leaves. The aloe is in full bloom, its flowers bright orange against jagged leaves, plump with healing nectar.