Like a small child, I love the excitement of the Christmas Holidays, when the tree is finally up, the lights are on, candles are lit and all the decorations are sparkling. But, one of my FAVORITE days is the day all the decorations are put away and the house is barren of the extra trimmings. When I look around and notice my special corner of the world, it feels like a ‘clean slate’. A chance to begin again. Of course, it won’t be long before the slate is dusty and slightly cluttered, and messy. But isn’t that life?
We add things to our days; commitments, purchases, people. And then, when the time is right, we subtract some of those extras and gain new perspective. Sometimes we replace those new, shiny objects with old favorites, and sometimes we leave the new out all year, until it becomes part of who we are in our daily world.
I think it is no accident that our ‘new year’ comes in the dead of winter. A slow start to the new year with time to reflect and build, put down roots and ponder…and the ‘clean slate’.
I am one of ‘those’ people who actually like New Year’s Resolutions, but as I grow in experience I find that rather than placing additional expectations upon myself I would rather open myself up to possibilities. I believe that in life there is no ‘one purpose’ that defines us but rather a series of opportunities and ‘curiosities’ that allow one to stretch and grow and make mistakes and suffer and begin again. So, in the spirit of curiosity, this year I am choosing a theme or focus as opposed to a resolution.
TRUST.
I spent the last year practicing meditation. I have spent the past 2 months practicing gratitude. Both of these things have taught me to be more hopeful, more resilient and less reactionary. I recognize how little I control in this world. And so, by focusing on trust, I hope to let go of some of the tapes in my head that tell me I am ‘not enough’. I hope to practice trust and let my children make their own way and their own mistakes. I choose to trust that my offerings to the world are special and will touch the right people. I will trust my intuition more and therefore take more chances. I will trust that this year will be exactly the year that I need, beautiful, painful, joyous and messy.
I wish for each of you the curiosity to open your hearts to the new year and the trust to expect the best. I hope and pray that our paths will cross and connections will be forged. If you are looking for a community to connect with, I invite you into mine to ‘nourish your best self’. This year I will continue to offer classes and workshops around food and cooking.
I am also sharing from my heart a lifestyle course that covers so much more than food and challenges each of us to thrive in our own way. I will be sharing some of the work of Brene Brown with my book club and continuing to connect our community with our merchants through my nourishing foods tours & tastings. I cannot think of a better way to start the new year than building friendships over real food and real life. I invite you to join me.
Warmly,
Teri
