How is 2015 going for you so far? Better than the way 2014 started? Worse? The same? If things are different, is it because you're doing things differently—or are you doing different things? Is it because you're thinking differently—or are you thinking about different things? Has your support system changed? Have you changed? Can you remember back that far? Does it seem like yesterday? Does it seem like a blur? Are glad '14 is over? Do you wish you had it back? Do you look back in wonder, or regret, or awe, or bewilderment?
Whether we answered “yes,” “no,” or “I don’t know” to these annoying questions, this might be a good time for us to assess how we plan to live during the next year. “Plan? What plan? Aren't plans the things we make to amuse our higher power?” Be that as it may, we have a choice to either try and exercise some control over what we think, feel, and do in the coming months or to give up that control to someone else, something else, or to just give up period.
But you haven't given up. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this. You wouldn't be coming to group, or going to your individual therapy, or exercising, or meditating, or pushing out of your comfort zone. You wouldn't be attending to mind, body, and spirit (as best you can) day-to-day. You have hope, and that's a start.
Big changes (and hero's journeys) start with a single step. January, the month named after the Roman god of transitions, gates, doors, beginnings, and endings, is the month we at least think about rearranging the order in our lives. That ancient god with two faces, one looking back and one looking forward, stands starkly in the middle of the passage of our present. He challenges us to think big by beginning small.
Whether we answered “yes,” “no,” or “I don’t know” to these annoying questions, this might be a good time for us to assess how we plan to live during the next year. “Plan? What plan? Aren't plans the things we make to amuse our higher power?” Be that as it may, we have a choice to either try and exercise some control over what we think, feel, and do in the coming months or to give up that control to someone else, something else, or to just give up period.
But you haven't given up. Otherwise, you wouldn't be reading this. You wouldn't be coming to group, or going to your individual therapy, or exercising, or meditating, or pushing out of your comfort zone. You wouldn't be attending to mind, body, and spirit (as best you can) day-to-day. You have hope, and that's a start.
Big changes (and hero's journeys) start with a single step. January, the month named after the Roman god of transitions, gates, doors, beginnings, and endings, is the month we at least think about rearranging the order in our lives. That ancient god with two faces, one looking back and one looking forward, stands starkly in the middle of the passage of our present. He challenges us to think big by beginning small.
For the Want of a Nail (The Butterfly Effect)
For want of a nail the shoe was lost
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
For want of a horse the rider was lost
For want of a rider the message was lost
For want of a message the battle was lost
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost
All for the want of a horseshoe nail
For want of a shoe the horse was lost
For want of a horse the rider was lost
For want of a rider the message was lost
For want of a message the battle was lost
For want of a battle the kingdom was lost
All for the want of a horseshoe nail
The familiar fable, "For the Want of a Nail," has been handed down, translated, told, retold, and reinterpreted (and even set to music) many times in at least the last 800 years. You may remember Benjamin Franklin as the author, but keep in mind that he created America's first public library (in 1731). So much of the wisdom our first librarian is credited for was gleaned from the books printed long before he was born, based on sources from centuries past. And what a service he did for those of us engaged in personal change by passing on this cautionary tale! The message isn't subtle: Small things, left unattended, can cause catastrophes. But just as true is the obverse: Attention to little details, things attended to and done right, at the right time, can build on themselves and cause great and positive change.
Another take on the old "Big Changes from Small Actions" idea is the butterfly effect. Theoretically, if a butterfly flaps its wings in Mexico City it's conceivable that a hurricane could eventually be generated in Maui. At least, metaphorically...right?
So here's to new, seemingly small beginnings. Just as a year starts with a second of time, so too do new lives for those of us willing and ready to look at this moment (this very moment right here) and then choose to think, feel, or act just a little bit differently. Good, or better, or even wonderful times can indeed be ahead for us. All because of a little decision to change everything.
Another take on the old "Big Changes from Small Actions" idea is the butterfly effect. Theoretically, if a butterfly flaps its wings in Mexico City it's conceivable that a hurricane could eventually be generated in Maui. At least, metaphorically...right?
So here's to new, seemingly small beginnings. Just as a year starts with a second of time, so too do new lives for those of us willing and ready to look at this moment (this very moment right here) and then choose to think, feel, or act just a little bit differently. Good, or better, or even wonderful times can indeed be ahead for us. All because of a little decision to change everything.
Happy New Year, okay?
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