Happy and Prosperous New Year

"Life begins at the end of your comfort zone. So, if you are feeling uncomfortable right now know that the change in your life is a beginning, not an ending. "
Neale Donald Walsh

 

We rang in the American New Year over a month ago but in many parts of the world they prepare to ring in the Chinese New Year this weekend.  In all countries, the new year is a symbol of putting the past to rest and celebrate the opportunities of the future.  In China, the New Years traditions are symbolic of good events that are to bring health and prosperity during the new year.  New shoes and clothes represent prosperity and the ability to overcome adversity.  On the first day of the new year all meals omit meat to symbolize no killing during the upcoming year. Gifts of candy and food are given to relatives and friends.  Unmarried children receive Ly See money in the traditional red envelopes and the list goes on.  It is a time celebrate new opportunities as we put the past behind us.

 The last year was a difficult one for me. A good friend passed away and my mother's life changed dramatically. My mother's situation had a tremendous impact me plus we are still sorting through the peripheral tasks that came with it.    For this reason, I was skeptical of what to expect in the upcoming year and the feeling of being completely overwhelmed was sometimes difficult to overcome.  January 1st came and went without much fanfare and I really didn't have any time to even think about setting goals other than to complete the work from 2012.

Today, however, is the first day of Chinese New Year. It is a special day because all of the bad stuff from last year has been left behind and, in it's wake, a fresh start is  ahead.  My mother is doing well, the work on her properties is making tremendous progress, my life is content, my sister and I are redeveloping a friendship, my friend's thirteen year old daughter was diagnosed with ovarian cancer but on Friday she was told that she should be cancer free after only  a few chemotherapy treatments. 


I have high hopes for the year of the snake so my goal is to finish the clean up detail from the previous year as I determine what life goals I want for myself.  While I am contemplating what goals to set, I intend to declutter my own life by spending more time focusing on the people and events that are precious to me. To begin this journey, my weekend is spent having dinner with my sister, today I am helping with sweet granddaughter's birthday party and spending  time with family.   I also made firm plans to get together with good friends who I have had little time for in the previous months.  After many weekends of sifting through forty plus years of stuff that my mother had hoarded because she said  "it holds memories"  I realized that tangible items are just stuff.  Memories reside inside of our hearts. The rest really is just stuff so, with the exception for what goes to my mother's apartment and a few family heirlooms, it will all be sold.

 In life, bad things happen.  We sometimes get hurt but when we stop moving forward we cheat ourselves because we aren't giving life a chance.  If we keep our focus on what is behind us  we could miss all of the blessings that are right in front of us.    I find the lyrics from the  group Switchfoot to be inspirational and their song  "I Dare You To Move"  says it best. and this is my new favorite song for the upcoming year.

Happy and Prosperous New Year - Kung Hai Fat Choi

I Dare You To Move"

Switchfoot

Welcome to the planet
Welcome to existence
Everyone's here
Everyone's here
Everybody's watching you now
Everybody waits for you now
What happens next?


I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor
I dare you to move
I dare you to move
Like today never happened
Today never happened before

Welcome to the fallout
Welcome to resistance
The tension is here
Between who you are and who you could be
Between how it is and how it should be


Maybe redemption has stories to tell
maybe forgiveness is right where you fell
Where can you run to escape from yourself?
Where you gonna go?
Where you gonna go?
Salvation is here

I dare you to move
I dare you to move
I dare you to lift yourself up off the floor