Spirituality Essay:

Happy New Year! ( January 2005 )

As we begin another calendar year, our thoughts often orient towards new goals, changes we want, fixing the dysfunctional habits and behaviors we rue.

January was named after the Roman god, Janus, the god of doors and gates. Janus had two heads, one looking forward, the other backward. The Roman "New Year" was as much a reflection of accomplishments in the past, as it was looking forward to improvements in the future.

Honoring and appreciating who we are, and how much we've already grown and changed gives us such a much stronger, better base, I believe, with which to make changes. Desired goals come now from past successes . . . extensions, natural evolutions in our life's development, as it were. In fact, our new goals only exist because past growth has brought us to this place, and new awareness is revealing what now needs attention.

Coming from a "what's right with me", rather than "what's wrong and has to be changed" place also helps stops the whole "stress" syndrome that comes with self-devaluation . . . .and which subtly cripples all new growth efforts.

Happy Past Year! Happy New Year!

This is one in a series of essays on spirituality by Rick Childs, lay leader of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the Mendocino Coast. You may want to:
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