Don't let life discourage you; everyone who got where they are had to begin where they were.

Richard L. Evans

Life is always walking up to us and saying,  "Come on in, the living's fine," and what do we do?  Back off and take its picture.

Russell Baker

This week we look forward to the start of a new year, untouched, like a slate that is unmarked and clean, just waiting for us to paint our thoughts and impressions onto it.  Many of us will start to compile a list of New Year resolutions. . . setting goals for the new year.  For a lot of us, by the end of January many of those goals start to unravel, and we become discouraged, wondering why we should continue on the course that looked so bright at the beginning. 

I think if we approach the New Year with a different perspective and keep a symbol or image in our minds it may be easier to stay focused and navigate the road ahead.  I approach the New Year as a builder, a person who sees a piece of land and the possibilities that can come forth. I look at the formulation of my goals, hopes, and dreams as a house. . . a beautiful shining building that by the end of the year I can be proud of.  A builder needs tools: not just hammers and nails but faith, encouragement, conviction and the belief that when you put your mind to it, anything is possible.

In January we start the foundation.  We make sure it is strong and has the potential to hold what we place upon it.  We make sure there are no cracks.  Each succeeding month we add to our house--floor by floor we put in the plumbing, the electrical wiring, the heating system, etc.  Sometimes we make mistakes:  one room may not be wired right, so we go back, repair the damage and continue on.  By the spring, we see that our house is off the ground and rising.  The contributions we have made to our house are beginning to show.  People pass by and are amazed how "fast" the house is starting to come together. . . but little do they see the problems that we encountered to get to our level.

So on we go, each day building brick by brick with the sky above us. . . and with each brick a feeling of accomplishment comes over us and a better understanding of the mistakes we have made so that we try not to make them again.  God looks down and sees a person trying to push forward with a house of meaning and purpose.  A badly built house with a weak foundation won't stand very long, but a good house can last forever.  God understands how hard it is to built good houses.

By the fall, our floors are completed, and we are about to add our roof. We want a roof that will not leak, that can take the elements.  If we have done all our work and done it well, by the end of the year we will be standing in front of a house, amazed that we were able to accomplish this once-monumental task.  We look at each brick and floor and see a story.  We see the setbacks and the over comings.  It is possible to build a good house, God willing; with the right tools and determination, all things are possible.

Good Luck with your house!

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©Jennifer Avalon.  Jennifer is a singer/songwriter/essayist with an eye for the important things in life.  You can visit her website at http://www.aviatorrecords.com/index.htm and download her music for free--her songs are upbeat and inspirational.  She does ask for donations, which only seems fair, with all that she's giving!

Who I'll Be (A Year from Now)

It's hard to think of the coming year as a question of who I will be during its 366 days.  After all, I am who I am, right?  I am I, and there's no way to change that.  I may change some behaviors, and for that we have resolutions each year at this time.  I may decide to read more and educate myself more deeply, or I may choose to have a relaxing year, one in which I don't take on any more time-intensive tasks.

But I know that life is full of little deaths--the person I am now is not the same Tom Walsh who was walking this planet 20 years ago.  It's not just that I've grown or learned more or developed, but that I am a very different person.  So many things that were a part of me then--beliefs and expectations and thoughts and dreams--are now dead, no longer a part of who I am, and there are many new parts of me that have been born in the time since that it's impossible to think of myself in one year and think that I'll be the same person.  For example, if I had written down my ten major beliefs about life 20 years ago and was to compare it with my beliefs now, I don't think that any of those beliefs would be the same.

Even though the rose bush remains itself for many years, the flowers that it gives us are always new, and never the same as the old ones.

I'm working towards something--we all are.  I'm trying constantly and consciously to make myself into a person who is able to love more and have a deeper faith in life and God.  Though I'm nowhere near where I want to be, that doesn't mean that I should give up my efforts.  And though I don't see results of my efforts on a day-to-day basis, that doesn't mean that I'm not changing regularly.  I know that I can set goals and work towards them, and if I get closer to them and find out they no longer work, then I can re-evaluate them and change them.

For example, if I think of the person I want to be one year from now, I have to say that I want to be more in tune with life and everything that's living, and more in tune with God and God's wishes for us.  I've studied far too much material that focuses on our being out of tune or out of touch with our world as one of the sources of our feelings of incompleteness and desperation.  There's much more to our world than what we see, and I know that we don't see it only because we've grown out of touch with it.

What can I do to reach this goal?  Of course, I can learn more.  I can practice noticing things that I normally wouldn't notice.  I can ask more questions.  I can listen more.  All of these things are quantifiable and noticeable, and if I keep track of all that I do to try to reach this goal, I know that I will have reached it by the end of the year.

The danger lies in wanting to become something, but taking no practical steps that will allow us to work our ways towards that goal.

I also want to reach some financial goals, mostly having to do with security for my family and independence.  In order to reach these goals, I can keep close track of all the money that we spend, noting how and where it goes.  I can keep track of all the money that comes in, too, noting where it comes from.  I can keep close track of the debts that we have to make sure they're diminishing and not growing.   But in all this, I can't forget that money is made to be circulated, and there are businesses in our community who need to have people like us spending our money in order to keep the community well.  In other words, we can't just stop spending our money in order to save it--we have to be responsible with what we do.

If I follow these steps, I should be able to look at our financial situation at the end of next year and see that it's improved, even if I haven't noticed great improvements on a weekly or monthly basis.

Who do you want to be a year from now?  This is a great question to ask before coming up with your resolutions, because those resolutions can all be geared towards helping you to become that person.  Even if you don't have a clear idea of what you want to be, you should be able to identify some aspects of your life that you want to see changed ("I want to listen more"; "I want to be less judgmental") and then determine some actions that you can take over the next twelve months in order to ensure that you do at least make it some way towards that destination.

Of course, life isn't about quantifying and reaching goals or not reaching them.  But if we can use these things to help ourselves to live well and to grow and develop as human beings, then let's use them.  If we're successful, then we can help others to reach higher levels.  But if we never grow ourselves, then how can we help others to grow?

"Site to Be Developed."  When you see this sign you know someone is preparing to put up a building of some kind.  It may be an improvement over what currently exists on the site, or it may do more damage than good.  We have all seen nature destroyed in the name of development.

Think of yourself as a site to be developed.  Remember that different sites are suited for different types of development.  What is your goal?  What resources are available, and what will best fit your site?  Look yourself over and get a feeling for your site.  Ask for help from developers and landscapers.  Then begin construction.  Don't worry about what the sidewalk supervisors think about the structure you are building.  This structure is going up on your property and you decide what it will be, or you will find no joy in the life you construct.  It will be someone else's building and you will be stuck in it.

How much can you do with yourself?  No one knows.  I know you can be happy.  You can be loving.  You can take part in creation and live and work in your heart zone.  There are no limits.  What will happen then?  No one knows the details, but I do know you will have what you need, peace and joy.