At the end of the year, it is common to review the year as a whole and pass judgment on it. It was a good year or a bad year. You may hear people say, “I can’t wait until this year is over.” Of course external events flavor our experience, but it is our interpretations of events that lead to the evaluations of periods of time.
It seems a shame to have a bad year or even a bad day. One can have a bad moment. Maybe a string of moments that hurt, but why color a whole day or a whole year as if it were one thing? People often spoil their whole day by labeling it as a bad day after just a few minutes or a few hours. They are saying to themselves, “I am a victim of powers greater than me, and that is my fate today. “ What if instead, we said to ourselves, “I am finding this difficult right now” and just left it at that. Or we could add an encouraging thought or two.
Each year is made up of many days, many moments. Some involve suffering, some, if we allow them to, involve non-suffering. Thich Nhat Hanh suggests we decide that the day is important. We decide. How powerful is that? This day, of which we get only a limited number, is for us to use, experience, and perhaps share. It is precious. Each moment is an opportunity to experience our unique life and give our unique gifts.
As your arbitrarily dated annual period winds down, may you have many moments of peace, gratitude, and joy.
© 2009 Tom Barrett