For many the coming of a new year is a time to ponder what they would like to change. For some it might be to eat better or quit smoking for others being a better parent or starting a meditation practice. For many, by mid-January the resolution has been broken many times and the old routines have returned. A sense of self-loathing is most likely present, too. So how can we make changes that will last longer than mid-January and lessen the sense of defeat?
In an article by Rev. Dr. Lynn Ungar, Minister for Church of the Larger Fellowship, she suggests finding “pockets of health,” those places in your life you find pleasurable, bring you a sense of well-being, and create a sense of wishing for more. I am planning to give this a try this year. I love Dr. Ungar’s idea of “more dancing” but for this year, I want to focus on gardening, specifically flowers. Growing flowers! I am blessed with a bit of a green thumb from my father and I love seeing flowers bloom throughout my yard. I can see starting flowers inside in mid-March and then out in the yard by mid-April, preparing beds and looking through catalogs and Pinterest for inspiration. I see this also as one of my spiritual practices, a place to give my attention and a devotion that will bring me great joy. Please ask me how it’s going.
Do you have a “pocket of health” you would like to grow this coming year? Spending more time in nature, writing, dancing, or crafting? May you find joy and soul filling in growing this “pocket of health” this new year.
Carol Zimmerman, Director of Religious Education