New Year's Eve: 2019

Friends ~ I have been thinking about stuff lately, as in: there's so much stuff in my house. I was thinking about my relationship to the myriad of things in my house, only some of which I think of as mine, though I should probably be more honest with myself and accept the fact that as the person who owns this house, yes, really, all this stuff is mine.

It's a modern problem.

Marie Kondo has had a couple of big years with her ruthless cleansing. And I think she has a point -- up to a point. I am not now and will never be a minimalist. I have no desire to be. The thing MK gets absolutely right is her "spark joy". To me, "spark joy" translates directly to humans I love.  As I write this, I am sitting on my couch, looking at my Christmas tree. Each ornament has a story. It's all beautiful in a shiny, mismatched kind of way -- but more importantly, it's a lifetime of stories, displayed for a short slice of time. And when I take them out each year, I am reconnected to each person. That's the spark for me; that's what makes meaning.

But it's New Year's Eve. I am feeling the call to ponder the past, look towards what's next. After a month of socializing, tonight finds me quiet. Dog at feet, soup bubbling on the stove, listening to my beloved cousin's husband perform folk music via livestream. The perfect way to wind down this year. And yes, what a year.

I don't believe in New Year's resolutions, though I know that for some, solid goals are good. Right now, my personal aspirations -- whether attainable or not -- seem of miniscule importance compared to the greater needs around me. Another day in the news, another day with too many people being attacked, being killed, simply for being. I grew up in the 60s and came of age believing in human progress. I am about to turn 60 this year, and I'm not sure if that's still true. But as someone I knew years ago used to say: You have to act as if. As IF love were possible, as if progress were possible.

And here we are.

What will next year and the new decade bring?  The pessimist says that I'm not sure I want to know; The optimist in me thinks that surely cooler minds will begin to lead. To think about ten years is too much. Let's just work on tomorrow, and take it one day at a time. One relationship at a time. One conversation at a time.

My cousin-in-law is singing his song about Icarus:

Sun goes up, moon goes down
and you knew from the start
the measure of all things
is still the heart.

Truth.

I don't have resolutions -- but what I have is a prayer. I am praying for listening. We have to be patient; we have to be kind. Cruelty cannot be a way of life. We are interconnected species, all.

2020 has arrived. Holding us all up in love.

Peace.

(Note: for info about the fabulous Greg Greenway, here is the link to his webpage: https://c9tuning.wordpress.com/)