Finding the Reset Button
At the beginning of each year, like many others, I pick a word of intention. However, the many pivots of late has made the task of picking a one word that applies to a whole year pretty daunting.
Therefore, this year, I have decided to take things one quarter at a time. I have picked a word that applies to the first quarter of 2022…after that, I may need a new word…we’ll see. My word for Q1 is RESET.
January is a great time to reset our rhythms in many ways. Fresh start, healthy eating, cleaning out the closets…you get the idea. But my need for reset goes a step beyond just a typical new year version…does anyone else feel that?
Wouldn’t it be nice if there were a button we could press that would reset everything? Start again, clean slate? In addition to the disruptions we have all felt, our household was launching a child to college. This process brings so much joy. However, it does require change on many levels.
So, now that we are starting a new year, I feel like it’s time for me to hit the reset button in a variety of areas. Just like everyone else, I need to eat more vegetables and drink more water. I need to boost my exercise routine. However, I also need to take my practice deeper and incorporate more reflective postures into my routine. I need to stop and think before I act…to focus more on being than doing…to question the motives for my patterns.
As I begin this reflection process, it occurs to me that Christmas is the ultimate reset. Getting an up-close connection with the divine will reset us in ways we don’t even imagine. Once Christmas arrives, the season of waiting is over, the peace of Christ has come.
Mindfulness can help bring that peace into practice. Meditation reminds us to return to our breath, to begin again. What if we all planned to take time during this quieter time of year to open ourselves and listen? To prepare room in our hearts and minds for God to speak? What would that process look like?
For me, it looks like spending more time with my journal, adding time in my calendar for planning and reflection and being more committed to my meditation practice. It means I need to center myself instead of endlessly creating resources for other people to center.
My sense is that patterns repeat and humans are predictable, including me. In addition, our world is noisy and distracting. Before long, I will be rushing around trying to check things off the list. However, that leads me back to the word RESET. I’ll need to start again. And lucky for me, God gives us endless chances make a new choice.