[pullquote align=”left” background=”on”]Don’t make empty resolutions about this or that external little thing – make one huge resolution to give yourself to yourself. Then everything else will quite effortlessly fall into place. ― Jay Woodman[/pullquote]

I was having coffee at the local shop this morning, when I saw a young girl struggling and scribbling with great ferocity. At the top of the notebook page read in greatest of letters;

“My Resolutions for 2014.”

And, yet underneath were half dozen or so ideas that were quickly ‘extinguished.’ I felt so badly for her, that the blessing of this next year might be limited by her inability to properly capture the wording.

It’s such a sad thing, really – and yet, it happens each year, as we struggle to determine our best way forward. We dream of the life we always wished, but never realized – and hope that our scribblings might bring us closer towards it.

I’m always amazed at the number who tread so purposefully into the new year – armed with such freshly scribed lists, and the determination of a bandit raccoon on a late evening ‘raid.’

Go on a trip…Lose 20 pounds…Be the best at (fill in the blank)…

But as the weeks pass, and the busy-ness settles in…those lists crumple under the pressures of one’s day. And when that cycle begins, we quickly lose heart…wondering why we even bothered in the first place.

But perhaps, instinctively we ‘lose’ the less noteworthy of goals? And in order to make room for something much more important?

Get up early…watch a sunrise or two..

Make good choices, help a child tie his shoes…

Let compassion and kindness greet each of your steps,

And while you’re at it… why not pay for that next person in line?

Look, I’m not saying these lists don’t serve a much needed purpose – it’s just that somewhere between the writings there needs to be a little doing.

My dears, it’s the real changes that are far more important.

So this year, why not make changes instead of change lists ~ and let’s just see what happens this time next year.

Namaste, and much love my dearest friends ~ and above all and everything else in this world, know that living extends beyond just those few simple lines