With wonder and expectation of what the dawn of the new year will bring, I cannot think of a better verse than Isaiah 60:1 "Arise and shine for your light has come and the Glory of the Lord rises upon you." To that I say YES!
With another year in the rearview, what we choose to bring with us into 2022 matters. By being intentional about what to carry with you and what to leave behind, you shape the course of your year. As a natural time of reflection and taking inventory, the end of a year beckons us to recall the moments that brought us joy and heartache; in this, we all share. From these experiences, many resolve to change, to be different, become better, ditch bad habits. And so the resolution was born.
Though the practice of new year's resolution is reported to have begun 4,000 years ago in ancient Babylon in attempt to appease their gods, for many people around the globe it remains an annual tradition. As a young woman, I was one of those. Back then, the vows I made did not all have strong roots of conviction, they were external promises that quickly faded.
For the past two decades however, an evolution has occurred in the approach to a new year, the clean slate. I simply wish to travel lighter, shed the layers of thoughts, habits or relationships that no longer serve me and make room for more lightness of heart, more love and more joy.
Rather than re-write the list of baggage some may consider offloading, I thought it best to borrow from Max Lucado from his book Traveling Light: Releasing the Burdens You Were Never Intended to Bear;
Odds are, you have luggage in your hands right now. Somewhere between your first step out of bed this morning and your last step out the door, you picked up some overstuffed bags. You stepped over to the baggage carousel and loaded up. Don’t remember doing so? That’s because you did it without thinking. Don’t remember seeing a baggage terminal? That’s because the carousel is not the one in the airport; it’s the one in your mind. And the bags we grab are not made of leather; they’re made of burdens.
The suitcase of guilt. A sack of discontent. You drape a duffel bag of weariness on one shoulder and a hanging bag of grief on the other. Add on a backpack of doubt, an overnight bag of loneliness, and a trunk of fear. Pretty soon you’re juggling more luggage than a skycap. No wonder you’re so tired at the end of the day. Carrying all that baggage is exhausting.
By traveling lighter we can go farther, move faster and navigate obstacles with more ease. My vote is for leaving all of those bags 'unclaimed' on the carousel, moving forward a lightness of heart, ever grateful for the wins and the opportunities to grow.
Cheers to you, lightheartedness and an abundance of love, health, joy and prosperity to overtake you in 2022!