Ready or Not, Here Comes 2022
Since the beginning of November, my personal life has been a roller coaster ride of concerns for the health of loved ones, loss of a niece who was only 35 and even the death of a beloved dog. As a result, I am feeling fatigued by the arrival of life events that have left my mental and emotional state stretched in ways I didn’t seek out or expect.
Luckily, I have considerable power to make choices that allow me to temper my involvement with others and to monitor the commitments that I make, as I regroup and open to a new year that comes whether I am jumping up and down with anticipation or am less than ready to embrace the new year wholeheartedly.
Here is how I plan to bring my natural rhythm, timing and tempo back as our brand-new year 2022 begins.
When I take the time to still my mind to allow my unfulfilled longings and genuine needs to speak, I can begin to soften and surrender into a larger capacity to experience wellbeing.
By intently making room to hear my inner voice, I am gifted with ways to lift my mood, lighten and clear any residual ‘poor me and wasn’t it awful’ trauma and make room for the reality that there is always much more to living than I am presently experiencing. I can then become aware that I may actually be blocking myself from opening to the fullness and richness that surrounds me, here and now.
How can we know what is real and what is false about our inner dialogue? When disturbing feelings about the state of our life begin to surface, it is an invitation to expand both our creativity and our commitment to bringing new vitality to neglected parts of ourselves.
It takes courage to take this journey. The task is to find our deeper wisdom, which resides underneath our anxieties and fears.
This takes bravery of a different kind. It is the intent to show up in the world without the pretense of being better than, or less than, anyone else. It means finding the courage to drop the protective armoring that attempts, but is ill-equipped, to keep us safe.
For the start of this New Year of 2022, I refuse to remain lulled into lethargy, hoping to receive a better life by being an obedient follower of my own status quo. The longing for a fulfilling life is realistic. The clues to fulfillment lie within each of us. The task is to weed out the attitudes and beliefs that prevent us from experiencing our lives as a fulfilling and meaningful quest.
Richness of experience exists on all levels: spiritual, physical, emotional and mental. There is an illusion that is widespread in our society. It is the temptation to use spiritual practices to grab happiness and fulfillment, while avoiding coming to terms with existing negativities and pain.
The longing for a rich and rewarding life is valid. It is possible to live without painful confusions and to function on a level of inner resilience, contentment, and security. We can become capable of deep feelings, and of meeting life without fear.
This state can only be reached by facing and taking ownership of our orphaned fears and misconceptions in order to set our spirit free so that the warmth of enthusiasm can flow once again and gift us with a wellspring of vital involvement from deep within our soul. Happy New Year 2022.
Susan is a local since 1986 and is the author of Beyond Intellect: Journey Into the Wisdom of Your Intuitive Mind. Reach her at susanvelasquez.com.
