Happy New Year?

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.

Image, Shelter, Daniel Genova
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Shelter, Daniel Genova, 2020

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