New York, New

London is satisfied, Paris is resigned, but New York is always hopeful. Always it believes that something good is about to come off, and it must hurry to meet it. Dorothy Parker

It’s a breath of fresh air to land in New York to lead workshops after two years of lockdowns. I feel A new chapter is being written. New questions to be asked, embraced, and loved. Sarah Ban Breathnach

A change in scenery is rejuvenating on all levels and what better place to do so.  The cosmopolitan blend of cultures and backgrounds creates a heartbeat of limitless possibilities. So, I close my eyes to old ends. And open my heart to new beginnings. anon

Ch ch ch changes

Change begins at the end of your comfort zone. Roy Bennett
 
Decades ago I broke a wrist in a dive boat driven by a madman. Since then I preferred sailing, rowing and motoring sedately.  Last weekend I completed my Royal Yachting Assoc Powerboat Level 2 training in a massive RIB with a 150 HP engine strapped onto the stern.  What was I thinking?
 
The last chapter of your life is yet to be written. Write the story you want to read. anon
 
Long ago I decided to live a full and conscious life. The opportunity presented itself, I rose to the challenge.  Was I scared? Duh. Was it a rush? OH YES!
 
As David Bowie says  
I watch the ripples change their size
But never leave the stream
Of warm impermanence
And so the days float through my eyes
But still the days seem the same

 It is up to us to Turn and face the strange

We know that the only constant in life is change and without change we can’t grow.
side. Once you begin, transformation follows.

Listen here to Ch ch ch changes by David Bowie

A clean slate

A clean slate

When things aren’t working for people the end of the world seems like a good way to wipe the slate clean. Evan Galdell  Less dramatically 2020 represented not just the end of a decade but an end to habits, beliefs and paradigms. A new year, a new dawn, a new opportunity to wipe the slate clean, to start afresh leaving the past behind.

Nothing in the universe can stop you from letting go and starting over. Anon except what you see in the mirror. Yes, When you first start out with something new, you're always a little uptight. Don Rickles So I invite you to begin to slow down inwardly, to take a walk in nature or linger over your coffee. To heed the advice of poets to detox and declutter our brains by daydreaming and listening to call letters from the…  universe. Juan Felipe Herrera To push aside the static to really hear the music. Steve Wynn

For What you think you become, what you feel you attract, what you imagine, you can create. Buddha  As Kenneth Kole said we define who we are each day with what we choose to wear.  Be selective, be intentional and remember, An old day passes, a new day arrives. The important thing is to make it meaningful. Dalai Lama

Blink and Turn the Page

In the blink of an eye, something happens by chance - when you least expect it - sets you on a course that you never planned, into a future you never imagined. Nicholas Sparks

With a blink of an eye we welcome the new year illuminated by a full moon.  The last decade is memorable for royal weddings, the rise and fall of regimes, presidents and terrorists, occupy movements, Brexit, unprecedented natural disasters, civil rights successes and failures and concluding with a global pandemic. (see lists here and here)

History is memory and memory is time, emotions, and song. History is the things that stay with you. Paul Beatty. We live within new paradigms and technology.  Our vocabulary grew, so did we -  challenges begat knowledge, adversity - creativity, strength - resilience.

Now is the time to turn the page, to turn over a new leaf. To make a fresh start by changing one's conduct or attitude for the better. Our lives are an open book filled with clean white sheets of paper waiting to be filled. The possibilities are endless. Joanne Fluke  So, Turn the page, and jump in. R. McWilliams  and let the next story begin. Suzanne Weyn

I've read the last page of the Bible, it's all going to turn out all right. Billy Graham

Spontaneous

Spontaneous –being natural and instinctive, a thing said or done without planning resulting from a natural impulse or tendency.

To celebrate Dylan's graduation we embarked on an iconic North American style road trip by getting in a car and heading west.  Accompanied by a good family friend, my son, daughter and I set out to cruise our way to Graceland.

You either make a decision or circumstances make a decision on your behalf.

My first instinct in Atlanta was to buy a map. Being a strong MBTI "J" and boy scout my comfort level is knowing where I am at all times. But do you have any idea how hard it is to find one?  So with only i-phones and an app we set off.  We talk to locals to find 'the' things to do and where to eat.  We've swum in the best watering hole in North America, walked through a cypress swamp, eaten catfish and fried green tomatoes, as well as the infamous hot chicken, learned of the losses of the civil war and of local heroes, and of course the music.  Booking hotels only minutes before arriving in a new town frees us from adhering to a schedule.

Seneca says, Travel and change impart new vigour to the mind. And, So much of who we are is where we have been. William Langewiesche . My personal goal is to die with memories, not dreams.

In order to do so requires permission to Decide without thinking to know what your heart says. Fathima Gani  It requires an open mind and an inherent desire to be unusually random, unplanned and spontaneous.  After all, The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experiences. Eleanor Roosevelt
 
Dr. Andrew Weil wrote a book saying that spontaneous happiness is the new path to emotional well being and Dolly Parton warns us to Never get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life.

So tonight I leave you with a song from the movie Pochantas where she realises each moment is unique and can only be lived once, she wishes to achieve her dreams and instead of choosing the familiar she chooses the unknown that lies Just around the river bend .  Which do you choose?

Happiness consists of living each day as if it were the first day of your honeymoon and the last day of your vacation. - Leo Tolstoy

The journey of 1000 miles begins with one step

Easter is a time of hope, renewal and new beginnings
 

Over the holiday I attended a level 2 Kundalini teacher training in a monastery near Kathmandu.  Rising at 0400 each day for practice and chanting, listening to the monks and living a simple life is therapeutic on many levels.  Now I am doing one hour of an assigned meditation every day for 90 consecutive days; miss a day, start over.  This will require discipline, determination and action. Yet doing so will provide insights and transformation as well as a sense of accomplishment. 

 “The beginning is the most important part of the work.” – Plato

 Today was day 1. After all, what is not started today is never finished tomorrow. Johann van Goethe

I invite you to join me in this journey of self renewal and growth.  For like the flowers that bloom through the snow, we too can rise above challenges to find clarity so i close my eyes to old ends and open my eyes to new beginnings. anon 

The instructions and link for the mantra meditation can be found  here.

“Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born.” – Dale Turner