Balance

I’ve never been much one for New Year’s resolutions. I’m more likely to set a theme for the year, and revisit it quarterly, when I do my personal rituals. Sometimes what you think is your theme for the entire year only serves you for a short while. There’s not need to stick it out for a whole year if it’s served its purpose.

Last year’s theme, if I formally set one, was certainly transformation. It started out in a pretty dark place, until by year’s end, I’m feeling so much more buoyant, light-filled and optimistic. Thanks for the lessons, 2019… so glad you are done!

I woke up this morning absolutely certain ACTION was the theme for 2020. I’ve already set in motion so many things based on my inner work of the past year, such as activating this blog and an accompanying Crafting the Spirit™ online community. Becoming debt-free in six months with a lot of hard work, when my plan forecast it taking a year and a half. Getting a ticket to a conference of like-minded people to expand my network… and so much more. And then I read this beautiful poem by Maya Luna, about it being OK to not have resolutions… to be the center of stillness instead:

“It’s okay not to have New Years resolutions
It’s okay not to have big goals for your life
It’s okay not to have plans you want to
Manifest
It’s okay not to chase your dreams
That path is not for everyone
Some walk the path of
Unbecoming
They are traveling the road
Backwards
Seeking the core
What is basic and essential
What has been there all along
Though we may be headed the same direction
Our spirals are mirror opposites
Some walk the path of the visionary
Creating abundance and
Dancing inside a multiplicity of forms
And
Some walk the path
of the serpent owl
Becoming more and more naked
Shedding layers of fantasy into the ash
Night sky
Sitting in the dark
And seeing the way the wind moves
They do not walk a line or
poise their arrow to the target
They sit at the bottom of the ocean
And wait
Letting the waves devour them
They are following the pulse
of listening
To silence
Like a tiger in the brush
Waiting for existence to strike lightening
Into the fire of the heart
For this kind
Nothing less will do
Some are opening the palms of their hands
And unraveling
To become
Less and less
Until they are
No-Thing
To become the still point
In the center of
All
You know who you are
Keep going”

Not long after reading it, I was getting ready to go to the laundromat and realized.

I had no pants to wear to to the laundromat, and was going to have to go out to my car to rummage through the bags in my trunk waiting to go to Goodwill “forever”, and hope there was a pair of pants.

While looking (yay pants!), I started to laugh. Having the bags of clothes in my trunk for months was the total opposite of action. Good ol’ procrastination!

I then decided, that instead of action, my theme for 2020 is BALANCE. That there are times for action, being decisive and doing the deep work, doing all the mundane administrative things to move yourself forward, and there are times where the biggest act of self love is to simply be. I think that’s why I like hiking and being out in Nature so much. All the chatter in my head settles down, and I enjoy being in the moment, with each breath. Not thinking of the next breath, or my posture, or what’s for dinner. Simply being. Where I am. At that moment.

If you were to create a theme for yourself this year, what would it be? What will be your still point? How will you cultivate balance?

Building on exercises from this past year:
What is the minimum viable action you are willing to take to bring your theme to life?

If you were to create a mantra around your theme, what would it be?

Are there some “what ifs” around your them you’d like to explore?

What would an adventure based on your theme look/sound/feel/smell/taste like?

How will mindfulness come into play?

Is there a daily practice you can begin to ignite your theme?

If you run into obstacles, how would you spend your 15 minutes of block busting to see if the theme is still a good fit?

Wow! We have explored a lot in a few months!

I would love to hear anything you’d like to share in the comments below!