As We Begin the New Year....

The chief beauty about time

is that you cannot waste it in advance.

The next year, the next day, the next hour

are lying ready for you,

as perfect, as unspoiled,

as if you had never wasted or misapplied

a single moment in all your life.

You can turn over a new leaf every hour

if you choose.

- Arnold Bennett, British author

January 1st: New Year's Day.  A chance to start anew ... with an entire year in the offing.  What a wonderful gift.  Now what can we make of it?

It's funny, but with the turning of the calendar we have developed the tradition to turn the page in our lives, to initiate a new chapter in our individual and collective stories.  And yet we give ourselves permission to deviate greatly from the previous narrative of our lives ... if only for however long we are able to escape our comfort zones.  I truly do hope that 2017 will be a year of personal transformation for you, not because it should or has to be, but because you want it to be so (if you do).

And I hope that 2017 is a transformational year for us all.  Certainly here in America there will be major political changes ... but the real opportunity, in my view, is in how we choose to address the social opportunities that these political changes will offer.  Will we revert or choose to go forward into an unknown but virtually limitless future?  The choice truly is ours to make....

How do you want the 2017 chapter of your life to be different?

I can say that the differences that I seek are mostly predictable and driven in part by what I've learned in 2016.  Among them:

• To be more present with and for my loved ones - In this ever more connected world, what truly matters doesn't change: the love of family and friends and the opportunity to luxuriate in it.  Accordingly, I'm making a pledge to turn off and tune out the world - how '60s of me, right? - in order to be fully present with my loved ones.  No texting or FaceBooking or being distracted in any other way while engaged with them.  The one exception: with permission/agreement, to google something that will aid a conversation.  Otherwise, old school all the way: let's talk - or sit quietly - and enjoy each other's company - and time - together.  For we know not when we'll have this gift again....
• To get in better physical shape - One of my biggest learnings in the past year is the feeling of my own mortality.  In part this is due to losing too many loved ones in 2016 and in part it's due to being too out of shape for too long.  Yes, as you age, your body may not work as well as it once did, but it shouldn't hurt nearly as much as mine does now, a legacy of too little investment in my physical health in the past decade.  In 2017, I must change this, not by overcompensating and becoming a workout fiend, but by finding a sustainable routine that contains far more exercise, a healthier diet, sufficient and restful sleep and an appreciable investment in activities that feed my soul.  (A large part of why I'm writing this blog today is in recognition and fulfillment of this last need and goal, to feed my soul.  I have always been inspired by sharing and hope that my doing so is beneficial to others as well....)
• To invest in learning and new life experiences - No, I probably won't chuck it all and become a world traveler - still have two kids at home/in various stages of schooling - so this will have to wait ... but this doesn't mean that I can't go somewhere I've never been or see loved ones whom I miss more often.  In fact, in order to increase my odds of success, I intend to start small: I'd like to take one trip to somewhere new with our family (or, truth be told, as much of it as we can reasonably assemble at a given time) and one with my wife this year.  And I'd like to make two trips to visit with loved ones whom I don't see often enough, especially those whose age suggests that I have less time than I would like.

There are a few more (perhaps more minor but nonetheless important) goals - like reading and reflecting more, like writing more, like cooking with and for my family and friends more, etc. - that I'll pursue as well, in addition to those few in the professional realm of my life.

And yet, as much as I would like my life to be appreciably different in 2017, there are some things that I hope will not change at all, like my commitment to being a loving family member and friend, like my commitment to being a highly contributory leader in the communities of which I'm a part, like my commitment to ever more exploration and evolution along my spiritual path, etc.  These essential parts of myself I expect to be the foundation to which the new and/or evolved is added.  And I'm thankful for this stable (but ever-evolving) core.  Just like I'm thankful for all of the wonderful souls who've touched and guided me in forming this core as well....

Finally, a concluding thought on the 'new beginnings' aspect of this day, starting with a question: how is this day different than all others/any other?  Truth be told, it's not ... which means that we can make the same choice - to start fresh and see what our God-given creativity can fashion - every day.  So, here's my thought and wish for you in 2017 and beyond: that you treat today as a chance to start over, and that you do so tomorrow, and the tomorrow after that, and ... so that your life is a series of new beginnings, each different and yet as meaningful it can be....

And now we welcome the new year,

full of things that have never been.

- Rainier Maria Rilke