2021 Word Of The Year

Happy "NEW" Year Everyone! Happy 2021~ Joyous and prosperous new year! It's January 2021! Oh man...somebody help me... 

 I'm sitting here this morning at my laptop watching the sun rise through the bare trees and the snow covered ground thinking about how to even write the first line to this post... the past year has been anything but... Happy? Merry? Joyous?

Greetings Earthlings, seems to fit far better the any of the traditional or rote sayings of old after the year we have just left behind. 

2020 is still smelling pretty bad and is still trailing right along with us, I think we all know that and wince at the thought of it, so here we are... I'll begin again. 

Greetings Earthlings! :) 2021 is here! That's better.

I wish you all peace, health, love and rest in the days, weeks and months ahead. I pray this note meets you wherever you are and at least reminds you that we are not alone here on this planet that we are all living on. I come in peace.  

This blog is kind of funny.. I've had this space for almost ten years now, I think I wrote my first stretch of entries in 2012, left it for a while, came back in and so on year after year. It holds many surges of my heart and so it remains and here we are again, the year has just been transposed a bit. I didn't have a plan to write here today or to make a "new start", but while I was in my hand written journal I got to thinking about how it might be nice to share my word of the year for 2021. I thought it might resonate with a few at this juncture and maybe even inspire some to do the same.. why not right, it's January in Maine and we all know we have to navigate a solid four months before we can get our hands back into the dirt, so here it goes. 

My word for 2021 is... ACCEPT, and all versions of it. 

"Acceptance is a person's assent to the reality of a situation, recognizing a process or condition without attempting to change it or protest it". Deep, formal... but true enough... Wikipedia. 

Words are powerful aren't they? They infuse us with feeling and guide us in our understanding of life in all the ways that we are experiencing it right now. I chose this word out of the Serenity prayer the other day and it just fit. If you are unfamiliar with that one, the condensed version is..

"God, Grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference." 

This prayer spans time and space for me. It is simple enough to become a mantra when you are overwhelmed with anything life brings and it speaks volumes in a way that is tangible, reasonable and true. However you understand God, Spirit, Creator, Source, this prayer gives us some action to take in any situation that sometimes requires no action, reaction or problem solving skills on my part.. it helps me sit on my thumbs, shut my mouth and pause for a second. Shhhhhhhh Denice. Stay! Sit. Wait. In all these years too I have found that I do very well with simple dog like commands when I can't quite control my own behaviors so understandably the ~word of the year works for me. :) Give it a try! 

"Accept the things I cannot change..." 

I don't see this word as one of complacent inaction mind you. Not an excuse to not believe, advocate for or try, but... for me, sitting on my thumbs, shutting up and waiting a minute gives me time to not do or say something stupid. It gives me pause to think of a better way and sometimes that better way is just to be quiet, patient, to wait, to accept, that this is what it is or will be for now. Who knows.. there's a lot of meat there. 

It helps me accept... that we are probably 6-12 months from any kind of "used to be or normal." Maybe. 

 I feel very fortunate to live where I do. To be sheltered in so many ways from the harsh realities of our world in this state of crisis.. but in this sheltered space, I hope to bring some kind of light to some. To share from my abundance in ways that maybe others can not right now. Physically, spiritually.. emotionally, just to listen and hold space for others solely because I am healthy and I can. 

Acceptance for me is also letting go. Letting go of all my expectations of situations, of myself and more importantly of others. It's freeing to do this and to experience the release of old hard wired patterns of behaviors or responses, some that I didn't even realize I had until I stopped doing them!

Acceptance feels new, like the year, the month and this day. It gives me a reprieve from what is behind us now and a reset of sorts to start over no matter where I am today, even in the midst of all this heaviness that we are all in right here, right now. We are not alone. 

Acceptance helps me "act" better. It's as simple as that. 

Sit. Stay. Listen. (Repeat)

This allows me to tap into my courage and hear the wisdom that makes all the difference~

"Live long and prosper earthlings!"~ 2021 awaits! God bless us all~ In Love Always, Denice