A New Year Comes: Relax, Celebrate Yourself!

As the New Year beckons, please do not lose yourself in the rush to make resolutions. I do not think I ever really understood the concept.

Yes, I want to be a better person; however, I think it would be better to put more time into contemplating just what it means, for you, to be "better" than it would be to make a to do list.

Instead of having a list that looks like this:
1. Loose weight (5-10lbs)
2. Learn a language
3. Reduce clutter
4. Make more money
5. Make time for self-pampering

Try a list that looks like this:
1. Look at myself with love
2. Forgive
3. Become comfortable with uncertainty
4. Clarify my hopes
5. Spread compassion

We are all fools and the world a stage?
We are all simple and want to be loved. We want to be appreciated and we want to be secure.
I want these things.


But, I know that much of what I need is with me. I comfort myself. I need to be a better friend to myself and not judge myself so harshly--otherwise, it seems that no matter the love and support and security I have, I will still be unhappy.

The recent Kellogg's ad is a good example of how this time a year, after indulging in holiday sweets people begin to make resolutions to make a change in their lives. While I think it is slightly humorous to see the woman in her furry red robe tending the fire and hear her little girl behind her call out "Santa!" I worry about the emphasis on body image as being so important in our self concept. I do appreciate the message that the products can help you make healthy choices to loose weight--its not the grapefruit diet!--but, I would like to see more emphasis on LIFESTYLE change! And not just change in how we look, but in how we act, how we behave, how we treat one another.

Perhaps obsession over weight is a side effect of a world that feels out of control. We want to feel like we can control things. We can make choices to control our weight, and it is something other people can see. But are you healthy! Will you be able to withstand germs, financial hardships, hunger? Will you be able to weather the changes and to feel comfortable with who you are? I have not always felt that way. I hope to.




This New Year's Eve, please take time to think about what you love about yourself and who you love. Be thankful, feel blessed, and think about ways to spread compassion and get comfortable with the uncertainty of life.