I woke just after 7am today to watch the sunrise, a wash of fiery red and orange fading to soft pinks and peaches on her ascent. I’ve grown to appreciate these daily rituals for the reliability and grounding they offer during unsteady times.

The quiet last days of 2020 are a welcome time of rest and reflection on a year that has fundamentally changed all of our lives in ways we’ve yet to fully realize. I’m embracing this liminal space and using it to craft an epilogue to the year that considers the most important lessons learned.

This is also the time of year when I post the following quote on social media:

In some ways, this message seems more important than ever before. If you’ve been in our own company longer than usual with fewer distractions, I suspect you’ve been visited by a critical inner voice that finds flaws and faults rather than blessings and blandishments. We are far more engaged with the inner critic than the inner friend.

I hope you’ll start the New Year off gently by considering how you might love yourself more. You might want to ask for help in finding a new job, add more vegetables to your plate, look for beauty when you visit a mirror or speak kindly to yourself when you’ve lost your way. Too many of us rush into the New Year with plans to fix something that’s broken, but it’s important to remember that your essence is flawless and loving. Beneath the fear and fault-finding, you are a being of great wisdom and empathy.

Besides, if beating yourself up worked, you’d be thin, rich, and happy. Better to love yourself instead.

May 2021 be a brighter year for us all!

Love,
Cheryl