It’s hard to believe we’re almost at the end of January. But maybe that’s a good thing. The pressure we put on ourselves and each other at this time of the year! What a way to — maybe not — start things off!

It’s an arbitrary transition but it is one whether we like it or not. Calendars, holidays, social expectations, all lean on us and ask us to do things like: reflect, change, amend, clean, better ourselves, connect with others, make commitments, break commitments, put the past to rest, fix the past, be more present, do it now, build a future.

Oh my goodness…it’s a lot…but…
What if we just let ourselves BE?
What if we don’t succumb to what our thinker tells us?
What if we just sit with lightness, like a feather barely touching the sticky mud?

Consider Moonshine, one of our horses that was grazing nearby a young neighbor horse. It was time for him to go back to his herd. When I started to walk, I felt resistance in the lead rope. First Moonshine was slow to move, then he just wanted to stop. I slowed down, turned and let my eye meet his eye. I breathed and imagined a thread of love connecting my heart to his. Then I turned and we walked.

Maybe this is how we start a new year. Reluctant to move but willing. Slow enough to feel ourselves and those around us. We hold the day with the lightest touch, just two fingers. It’s not about letting it go completely and we don’t need to grab and tug at ourselves or others. One foot in front of the other. One breath at a time. Awareness leads us. We notice things. Let the day be a day.