Happy New Year!
Now that I’ve gotten that out of the way I’ll move on. I’ve always been
ambivalent about this passing of time as January 1st is really just
another day. Humans though are generally soothed by landmarks like this
and I fall inline, mostly. After all, I had my first real date with my
partner on a New Year’s Eve many years ago now, so there’s that.
Granted,
2020 was a year fraught with conflict, illness and walls and for me it
was also full of learning, compromise, bonding and creativity. I really
have a lot to be thankful for. I have a job that has continued to help
sustain me during the last 10 months. In 2020 I embarked on a journey
that shifted my paradigm around practicing and teaching yoga and met
some pretty great people along the way. I have been able to continue to
teach yoga and share the practice, which is a gift. I was lucky enough
to be able to celebrate a few milestones with friends and family. While
attending college on-line, I watched my son start to think differently
as he was challenged. My partner made and sold art and made plans for a
solo retrospective to take place this spring. I read a lot of books. I’m
healthy.
I’m still happy to see 2020 go and am looking forward to happier times,
hugs (lots of hugs) and maybe seeing the bottom halves of people’s
faces, but we don’t really know what 2021 has in store for us. With that
in mind I am continuing to operate with my antennae at full attention.
It’s January and we’re still talking about an election that took place
in November. Those who continue to undermine the election process scare
the bajeesus out of me and are the ones most guilty of the election
fraud they yell about so loudly. The collective trauma from which we all
need to heal will take ages to work through even without those who
would keep our bodies locked in a state of constant anxiety. Then
there’s the fact that no matter how much we scream about social justice
and systemic racism, without acknowledgement and tough work on
individual and collective bases very little will change. As much as
protests bring attention to the issues, that’s mostly all they do. You
can change or create a new law but if our feelings around race don’t
evolve those laws are just band aids under which wounds fester.
For my part, I’ll continue to offer opportunities for self reflection
and healing through the practice of yoga and its component parts and see
where 2021 takes us.
Happy New Year from my family to yours. I wish you less drama and more hugs in 2021.
PS – I wrote this prior to the events of January 6, 2021. Love to you all.
*Image: Shelter by Daniel Genova, 2020, https://www.singulart.com/en/artworks/daniel-genova-shelter-971877