White Blank Page

One of my favorite things about office supplies, and, when I was younger and went back to school each September, are the crisp, blank notebooks we started with in hand at the beginning of each grade.  Even now, as an adult, I feel a rush of joy when I open a new journal or notebook and flip through the clean lined pages.  Such promise!  Such opportunity!

The same holds true for a New Year of course; more so in fact. There are a lot of people that maintain one shouldn't wait for January 1 to start something they've been meaning to do or make a change they know they need to make...but instead should start, well, when they want to start.  And I get that, I do.  But I also believe there is something wonderfully refreshing about hanging a brand new calendar on the wall or opening up a stunningly clean and uncluttered planner on January 1st.  Yesterday, we were all living our last day in the year 2013.  And voila! here we all are, each of us with a completely fresh start, a blank page, a whole new year that is ours to do with whatever we wish.  365 days to fill with new adventures, memories, laughter, sadness, anger, surprises, joy and love.  We will travel, we'll work, we'll rest.  We will learn things we never knew before; see things that we have yet to see.  Last year an old high school friend and I were killing time in a bookstore and we stumbled across a holiday card that says it best:  "And now, let us welcome in the New Year; full of things that have never been."

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After having an early morning brunch with a very dear friend, I made it over to my first yoga class of the year.  As one would expect, the class was packed, all of us yogis arriving with good intentions for our yoga practice in 2014.  What I immediately noticed in my class...and what I've been witnessing all day in fact, is just how darn happy everyone I've come in contact with is today.  The usual gruff waitresses at our brunch spot were cheerful, one of them even cracked a smile when she dropped off our orders.  The strangers I've encountered on the T and along the city streets all seem to be walking with a bit more spring in their step, carrying a sense of lightness and renewal that is almost palpable.  And as for my fellow yogis, the energy in that studio was some of the best I've felt in a long time, complete with subtle giddy dance moves in between poses for some and smiles and laughter for all as we squeezed our mats together to make room for just one more...

When we began our class this afternoon, my beloved yoga teacher asked us all to take a moment and set an intention for our practice (mine = to be grounded and calm).  She then took things a step further and asked us to think about our intentions for the coming year, what we wanted to focus on, to remember, to come back to in times of inevitable strife and craziness.  As I sat there on my mat, in the dark quiet studio, on this, the very first day of a brand new beautiful New Year, three words swam into my brain on repeat:  Grounded.  Peace. and Love.

Here we go, 2014.  I'm ready.

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness.  I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful, and don't forget to make some art - write or draw or sing or live as only you can.  And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."

-Neil Gaiman-