Resolutions and intentions for the new year

The clock is ticking! In just a few days this year will end.

How was your year?

My year was rich in experience, full of learning and so many opportunities to share my work.
In the past I can remember, sometimes feeling relieved as midnight approached: symbolically, ending the year with farewells and a commitment to some new resolutions. I don’t feel this way anymore – relieved I mean – because even in those difficult moments of life, I am grateful for my health, family, love, friendship, learning, collaboration and each lived moment.

Living with the intention of embracing gratitude is not always easy, because not all experiences feel wonderful!

Yesterday, I was in the supermarket standing behind a father and his teenage daughter, I don’t know exactly what happened, I heard him say: “stop showing off, or I’ll bash you.” When I hear things like this it affects me very deeply.
How is it possible to appreciate this moment?
I notice the tension in my body, my breath quickens – I feel furious and recognize I wanted to bash him!
Why ? because I wanted to stop him acting this way.
What could I possibly be grateful for in this moment?
Beneath my anger is a deep sadness for this child and for a world of violence. Would he bash her? I don’t know. I wish he had another way of expressing his frustration! Would I bash him? thankfully No!
My fury dissipates. I’m grateful for my resolution to nonviolence!

Values

I value kindness and affection, understanding and connection – phew, how wonderful it is to connect to these values.

Reflection

I am conscious of how an experience like this affects me and of the choice I have about whether to express myself verbally to others in the moment or not, my decision on this occasion was not to!

Are there some experiences this year that have had a big impact on you?
How have you expressed yourself when these situations have occurred?
How do you choose when to express yourself?
What are your resolutions?

Making a positive difference in life is very important to me and so is the process of reflection about the impact I have on those around me. I have learnt that the process of mourning is not only about when we loose someone, it also applies to those situations in which, we wish we had acted differently and cannot change. This includes those times when we wish we could wave a magic wand and transform situations in an instant!