Rev. Cathy Harrington
My goodness, it’s another new year already! The holidays are always such a whirlwind that it feels good to sit back and enjoy the thought of quiet and boring January.
I love our Soul Matters theme for January because it resonates with new beginnings without the burden and guilt of New Year’s resolutions. The theme is intention which is different from making resolutions or needing improvements; intention is more about listening to what calls us forth. It is about becoming who we really are, aligning ourselves with our true north rather than improving ourselves. That feels so much better! Someone posted a quiz on Facebook that promised to discern your New Year’s resolutions for you if you simply answer ten questions. I thought what the heck, I’m game. Mine turned out to be an invitation to make more room in my life for creativity! Creativity! Not lose 20 pounds or go to the gym every day, but make time to read books, write poetry, play my guitar, and just sit and knit in front of the fire.
The Soul Matters small group resource included an article that had been published in Business Insider magazine. The article explained why it is important to daydream, and the author references the ‘two-hour rule,’ a habit that Einstein, Nietzsche, and Darwin shared in common. Two hours set aside per week to do nothing but think and daydream. Daydreaming, she says, opens the door to creativity and new ideas. It is so easy to waste two hours surfing the web or watching television, but it takes effort to spend two hours intentionally doing nothing but think and allow your mind to wander. Try it! Perhaps you will discover what your inner voice telling you to do with this brand, new year. I’ll try it, too, because I suspect my inner voice might have more insight than a 10-question quiz on the Internet.
In his wonderful book, Let Your Life Speak, Parker Palmer wrote, “Before you tell your life what you intend to do with it, listen for what it intends to do with you. Before you tell your life what truths and values you have decided to live up to, let your life tell you what truths you embody, what values you represent.” Listen for those things that inspire you. Notice what makes you smile or laugh, or intrigues you. As the poet Mary Oliver asked;
Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
See you in church!
Cathy