January 1, 2019
Here we are.
You may be in the mountains today as the light of dawn awakens and peels back the darkness. You may be able to hear snow melt running down the incline like children sledding down drifts. You may feel the icy air on your neck, face, and fingers as if it is the universe itself trying to wake you to the gift of the beauty that surrounds you, created for you and not to be missed with eyes and heads heavy with concern and distraction.
You may be opening your eyes as morning light merges with the orange glow of city lights and stirs the ingredients of your life into waking. Before you stir you may listen to the breath of your loved ones or notice the pets in the room as they look to you and nudge for food or affection.
You may open your eyes for the day’s first time and see farm fields reaching and extending for miles around you, stretching out like your arms and legs as you yawn and arch. You may smile at them, the promise of growth and flourishing hidden in what appears today to be crusted and barren.
You may be on a beach where waves slide toward you, encircling your bare feet beneath a breeze that warms not only your body, but the soul within you.
You may be near where I am, in the snow crust that hushes all sound and gleams blue to white as the light of day begins to infiltrate the quiet with its activity. Footsteps which may be taken for granted otherwise now crunch the snow under our weight, reminding us of where we’ve been, how far we’ve come, mud we’ve stepped in and smeared, and sure-footed sprints we’ve enjoyed.
You may be just getting off work or on your way to work. You may be raw with a hunger for sleep or nodding off from lack of sleep. You may be in a place where everything inside you wants to be anywhere else.
This day arrives like our breath does, regardless of our permission and with circumstances we inhabit. My wish for you is the grace to receive what you’re immersed in without resistance. My wish for you is a peace where you are regardless of your circumstances. My wish for you is to receive and open the gift of your life with all its pain, grief, glory, and awe. My wish is that as you look within you, you find the power and ability to cope with and shape your circumstances in a way where you are kind to yourself and kind to others, where you are not worried or afraid, where you are confident without any need or interest in harming others as you create what you desire.
What will happen today? Who will you speak with? Who will you meet? Who will you hear? No matter how many of these years we’ve lived or will live, here we are together. Thank you to all of you who have shared your life with me, taken the time to care about me, and for being who you are. I hope you will be who you are without shame and without fear. It is an honor to spend time here with all of you, to be made better by you, to be humbled and challenged and inspired by you. I am excited for what we will do together in the time to come, in the days and nights that cart us through our moments and experiences that make up our lives.
Be blessed, and Happy New Year!
Ben
