The whirlwind of the past 12 months is still being sorted through in my mind. It is a tangled rapidfire mess of "are you fucking kidding me's" and "sure, why not's." January turned into March turned into June, September into December in the course of about four blinks of my eye. And while my mouth was steadfastly below the waterline this whole year - at least I succeeded in keeping my nose above it. For the most part.
In our family "we can do hard things," and this year proved it. There is no benefit to recapping the numerous losses and heartbreaks sustained, stressors endured or additional responsibilities undertaken - they just are. Or were. That is the beauty of today. Today marks the end of 2015: the year when everything was a bit harder, darker, heavier. Tomorrow is 2016.
In 2016 there will be exciting opportunities to apply the lessons of the past, to embrace all the newness and to continue to live with intention knowing how much every decision matters.
One of my great discoveries of the past couple years was the depth of power that can be summoned, harnessed and wielded quietly. Like a secret weapon. Power, strength, fire and yes, even authority, can be embodied and carry enormous influence without having to make a sound. It is experienced, demonstrated, not shouted. Power like this, that I have found to be one of my greatest assets, doesn't need overt declaration or announcement. It is simply felt -- apparent. The tiger does not proclaim it's tigritude, it just acts.
Powerful choices and actions, ones that further that which I value most, are what is on the list for 2016. And my soul sister was pleased to hear that, among other commitments to myself, I also intend 2016 to begin with three magical action words: cleanse, purge, organize. This will undoubtedly require time for thought and reflection, deciding what is worth holding on to and what it is best to let go. For someone with hoarding tendencies which may extend beyond the inanimate, this will not be easy. But we can do hard things.
So good riddance 2015. It's all an upward trajectory from here. 2016 looks so much friendlier and gentle. I'm ready. And while we CAN do hard things, here's to hoping we don't always have to.
