Begin Again…

Here we are, that trick of the new year calling us to begin again with all that we have learned in the previous year, with all that we promise and hope for this year. Snow and ice have slowed us down; power cuts reminded us that the most basic services are precious and energy can’t be taken for granted. There’s a recklessness at play in the world that calls for quieting, and, in the words of a wise friend, “moving at the pace of guidance.” It’s not a call for passivity or meekness but for measured, focused energy that could be fierce and might be gentle.

At first light, my heart feels heavy, congested, as if the world’s shadows have weighted my sleep. But the sun creeps over the horizon and bleeds red and there’s hope in the new day. Hope even on those days when clouds throttle light and trees stand like ghosts in the rain, their branches empty of birds. The singing is muted causing me to close my eyes and really listen. When brute force is common human currency, how do we soften?