Into 2023

We are on the cusp of a brand new year. In a few hours, the countdown will begin, champagne bottles will pop, and we’ll bid a final farewell to 2022 by singing Auld Lang Syne.

Intellectually, I know that the difference between the final moments of this year and the next is the stroke of time on a clock. A mere second.

Realistically, the moment represents a mental and emotional shift that resets time and space. A recycled annual gift we give ourselves with pre-planned fanfare in tow. A mental trigger of hopefulness, a fresh mindset and a do-over that begins at midnight of the new year, often forgetting the goodness of the present collectives representing our lives.

The moment we changed our way of thinking, impressed upon by wisdom remembered.

The moment we noticed our bodies sprinting into overreaction and how we shifted into pause, affording the tongue a much needed rest.

The moment we took a deep inhale and a slow lingering exhale that relaxed our tense body and calmed the anxious mind.

The moment we realized that filling our lives with busyness, hijacked our stillness.

The moment that changed how we connected with other humans, when we noticed our shared humanity.

The moment when we accepted that the confetti of joy could share space with an unexpected wave of sadness.

The moment when prayer touched our soul, and connected us to the Divine.

It is the countdown of mindfulness that gives the awareness to see spaciousness in nature. The moment when we see the sky changing to orange, yellow and red at sunset and knowing a replay of twin beauty will rise in the morning.

It is the moment we realize that our luck is actually God’s blessing, and through His grace we have breath.

It is the moment when we hold the champagne flute, bubbling with teachable moments, and sip the wisdom created by our lived experiences.

In the moment, realizing that the stroke of midnight is a stroke of compassion for our daily nourishment of noticing when we are happy, settled and content and setting free what we already let go.