New Pleasures, New Treasures —
Stepping into a new year with all its uncertainty and potential has a way of focusing one’s attention on what really counts in life.
2020 was a year like none I’ve ever experienced and what 2021 will bring is still an unknown.
Yet I know a few things with greater certainty and clarity.
I know that pleasure is fleeting, but sweet. It often comes in small packages – like the squinting of a pair of eyes over the top of a mask, letting you know that someone is smiling at you. That little bit of humanity peaking over a fabric triangle is a treasure.
I have realized the value of a hug – the first one I got from a friend after months of abstinence was one of the sweetest encounters of the year. A year ago we would have clasped each other quickly and been on our way. Now we didn’t want to let each other go. Who would have thought that in a world where hugs are free, they’d become a scarce commodity in a matter of a few short months?
I have begun to learn the pleasure of quietness and aloneness. Curled up in a comfy armchair in front of a flickering fire with a book in hand and a cat in my lap, I’ve let the soothing warmth from the fire and the cat comfort my soul and ease the stresses of the day. Not needing anything in that moment, just being and letting everything around me be…perfect.
I’ve discovered treasures within – each new self-discovery sending a thrill of joy coursing through my body.
Amid the struggles of 2020, I learned to release numerous emotions – of fear, of sadness, of loneliness, of worry, of rejection, of lack, of doubt. Emotion by emotion, I’ve sat with them one by one and let them arise and be seen, be accepted, and then released.
I’ve confronted the feelings of not being enough, and the reality that I can’t fix everything. I’ve discovered peace as a welcome and ready replacement. I learned that I AM enough for any moment that arises, and trying to fix everything is just insane.
I’ve learned to observe from behind a short wall – witnessing all the worldly shenanigans while holding my energy apart; not throwing myself into the pot with all the scalding debris and chaos.
I’ve nurtured the art of compassion – wishing my fellow earth-dwellers well, regardless the path they are on. I have let my hasty judgements fall away. I have embraced, instead, a belief in the appropriateness of all humanity. We are all on the same path, discovering who we are, each doing our best with what we have to work with.
I’ve recognized the bliss of family and friends – the steadfastness of relationships taken for granted when everything is going well, rising up in solidarity and fierce determination when a need presents itself.
I’ve discovered that love is not felt in the receiving, it is felt in the giving. The greatest act of kindness was learning to love myself. When no one else is around, you soon learn what a friend you are to yourself, or not. When activities are not bountiful enough to distract you. When all the trappings of a busy life fail to impress – there’s just you.
I’ve discovered the pleasure that arises within when I take a few minutes to be present, to breathe deeply and consciously recognize the divine presence I hold within. I am discovering the treasure that is me.
2020 came bearing gifts. They are invisible to the eye, but what richness they bestowed! Intrinsic, beautiful, powerful, grace-laden gifts that hold the power to nurture us through any difficulty, any changes, any sorrow, any fear.
Be well. Be safe. Just BE.
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