Looking Back ... and Ahead

As the year draws to an end, we tend to take stock of our lives; our accomplishments, our failures, the changes which occurred, and the challenges that lie ahead.

There are many sources of strife that are intertwined with simply existing in the modern world today. We feel burdened with too many physical possessions or deprived without them. We worry about being able to keep what we have, and we worry about not being able to amass more.

Here in the bleak midwinter, we find time to be alone. The cold holds us captive in our homes, and the dark confines us to long evenings of relative solitude. It is during this time that we can seek to center our lives and work on obtaining a balance in time for the promises of renewal that await us come Springtime.

To obtain that ever important balance, to achieve that ballast that will keep us afloat, we need to seek clarification into our life regarding what is really important to us.

Let’s ask ourselves what we would take with us if we were informed that we had five minutes to leave our homes. At that moment, it is likely that what seemed tremendously important just moments before - the bills, a broken appliance, or the laundry pile - would cease to exist in our minds.

Perhaps we would rush to grab a treasured photo album, a favorite piece of jewelry, or a personal memento of a loved one or a time gone by.

Who would we want by our side in the aftermath? Family? Loved ones? A pet?

Our answers to these questions are a window into what is important to us and what and who we should focus on. Maybe doing the laundry can wait while we call a loved one, or spend some time doing something we really enjoy.

Now ask what would be important to you if you found yourself taking your last breaths. Would you worry more about unfinished business, or an unsaid "I love you"?

What would you rush to accomplish and what loose ends would you tie up?

There might be a dream we never chased or someone we wished we had forgiven.

Our answers to this question can help us to determine how we truly wish to be spending our time on this earth.

We might consider tying up that loose end or chasing that dream now, rather than later.

There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. They simply serve to help us better understand how we can lead the life most fulfilling.

Choosing to change our lives, to embrace new priorities of our own design, even on a small scale, can be the most rewarding thing we ever do.

Wishing you a new year of balance, with love & light,

Rob