Newsletter #16: Happy January, Winter 2009

 

The Blank Slate: January, 2009

 

This week I was struggling to comprehend why we begin the New Year in January, as opposed to, say, spring, when the phrase "turn over a new leaf" would have greater seasonal relevance. I always experience January as a rather dreary month, when we recover from the rush and family dance of the holidays, while simultaneously trying to jumpstart our lives back to "normal."

 

Last night, when my evening plans were buried under the blanket of snow, I was left to contemplate emptiness. The landscape outside my windows revealed various shades of white and gray; it was bleak and beautiful all at once. I began to understand the significance of January as the perfect beginning; it is a blank slate. It can be cold and hollow, bare and lonely, and somewhat colorless -- like an empty canvas, rife with possibility. It is void-like, and therefore, the perfect setting for the creative impulse.

 

This January, as the popular month for getting out those brushes and making bold strokes of change in your life, I recommend reading a great article by Lorrie Klosterman (with quotes from yours truly) in the current issue of Chronogram, the Hudson Valley's Art / Culture/ Spirit Magazine: Wellness Tips for the New Year. Although I did not include my usual format of tips and suggestions in the last section of this newsletter, you can be sure to find them in the last section of the article.

 

Wishing you a very Happy New Year, with a very creative start. May the bleakest winter months be rich and colorful in your heart, and may the year bring you the best of what life has to offer.

 

And remember, Love Yourself no matter what.