As arbitrary as it may be to celebrate a man-made construct we deem the ‘new year’—for every day is a new day—it has become a universally accepted norm and cause for merriment. And behind the celebrations, a major driving force is the idea of a fresh start and a sense of possibility, and the hope and lightness entwined within.
I will forgo the usual deliberation on resolutions, goals, and the like.
Let us instead talk of intention. Of making new choices and giving ourselves second chances.
Be it a word or a list of words that resonate with you, taking some time time to reflect and set your intentions can be a good place to start, even if you don’t know exactly where you want to go. Maybe especially so.
What makes an intention “right”? One that takes you in the general direction of north. Your north, not anyone else’s.
An intention is a promise, a guidepost to touch on when you feel adrift or when the challenges of life feel near impossible. In the midst of worry or confusion or heart-clenching fear, it can serve as the closest thing to solid land to keep you connected to yourself.
And when you have recovered enough to catch your breath but are still unsure of what to do, an intention can help you make new choices, and give permission to give yourself another chance. And then another, and another, because to need them is the fallibility of being human.
A day is not new because the problems of yesterday or the anxieties of tomorrow have disappeared. It is a new day—or a new week, or a new year—because it is another opportunity to make a choice, hopefully one that helps you be or do better than the day before.
So here’s to new choices, second chances, and the wonderful possibility of stepping closer to the light you seek.
Photo by Patrick Metzdorf on Unsplash
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