Resolutions
December 28, 2009
Live a balanced life-learn some and think
some and draw and paint and sing and dance
and play and work every day some.
Robert Fulghum
The Kingdom of God is within you.
Jesus
Intuition is paying careful attention to
God's whispers. Quincy Jones
I stayed home this weekend, eschewing the
time-honored post-Christmas ritual--the rattle
and hum of commerce and swarm gift exchange.
I thought about New Year resolutions,
because I received an email that told me to
do so. I will admit that there is something
visceral about resolutions, with the eternal
hope for a new start. Not to mention that
we've made an industry of it. It helps if
you resolve to undertake something ambitious.
As if there's a resolution contest.
(Of course there is nothing magical about January 1. In the Middle-Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1. As far as I know, we've kept it at January 1 so that Dick Clark could have a job.)
Truth is, I'm not a resolution kind of guy. Mostly because it makes little sense to tell people I want to lose 20 pounds every year, while I'm eating chocolate cake and sipping a 20-yr-old Port Wine. Plus, I have a hard time making up my mind. Don't get me wrong. Change is good. We are, none of us (adults), victims. We choose. And I believe in "Living with Intention." Resolution is from the Latin resolutio, or resolvere meaning "to loosen or dissolve again," (re- + solvere) which was the original meaning of resolve. In other words, I will "determine or decide upon a course of action." It was first used in English around 1523.
But here's the deal. Change is one thing. But to assume that my life only begins after I move away from who I am now means that I will never find a place of acceptance.
As I was thinking about resolutions, I realized that I actually did have one. I want to clean my garage. This is an admirable idea until I look at the thermometer, which reads 37 degrees (inside the garage). I prayed for an exemption, and changed my resolution. Now, I want to heat my garage. I went shopping for a wood stove.
What tickles me is the way we've turned resolutions into an industry designed to sell products we cannot live without. Sure, resolutions are fun and lighthearted, but there's just enough of an expectation to make you think twice. On the TV (a commercial during the football game, while I'm scarfing chips and guacamole), I'm told that I will not just lose weight in the NEW YEAR. They guarantee it! (Oh yes. After you buy their product.)
I'm with Calvin on this. He is talking with Hobbes one day.
Hobbes: Whatcha doing?
Calvin: Getting rich!
Hobbes: Really?
Calvin: Yep. I'm writing a self-help book! There's a huge market for this stuff. First, you convince people there's something wrong with them. That's easy because advertising has already conditioned people to feel insecure about their weight, looks, social status, sex appeal, and so on. Next, you convince them that the problem is not their fault and that they're victims of larger forces. That's easy, because it's what people believe anyway. Nobody wants to be responsible for his own situation. Finally you convince them that with your expert advice and encouragement. They can conquer their problem and be happy!
Hobbes: Ingenious. What problem will you help people solve?
Calvin: Their addiction to self-help books! My book is called, "Shut up and stop whining: How to do something with your life besides think about yourself."
Hobbes: You should probably wait for the advance before you buy anything.
Calvin: The trouble is; If my program works, I won't be able to write a sequel.
(Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes.)
We live in a culture where we can't get away from the notion that there's just one piece of knowledge--or information or advice or prayer or instruction or divine intervention--between happiness and us. And it just so happens, that when we are lucky enough to find that piece of advice, it's not the right one.
These days there are helpful books on every subject. But the simple knowledge is not the issue. It is the goal of making one perfect thing accompanied by the notion that if I could get just one small spot in my disordered life nailed down neatly and precisely, then I would at least feel I had a shot at some modicum of control over the rest of it. Frank Soos
The other alternative is to forget resolutions, and go with the time-honored New Year good luck rituals, from around the world. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.
Did you know that in WALES, at the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.
In CHINA, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to "cut" the family's good luck for the next year.
Even here in the UNITED STATES, at midnight we kiss whoever is close by, standing under a holly sprig because the legend says that a kiss is purification into the new year.
I just read the list of the most popular resolutions for the coming year. There is nothing new. Losing weight is first, followed by quitting smoking and getting a job. My favorite two create quite the conundrum: one is to be happy and the other is to fall in love. Good luck making that work.
Our winter garden is a picture of simple elegance now, the lawn etched silver with hoarfrost, and the structure of the garden unambiguous, with the "bones" of trees and woody evergreen shrubs. I walk the garden, happily, knowing there is little work to be done. A half-moon rests in the eastern sky. And as I walk, I realize that I do, in fact, have a resolution or two.
1. I will never give up an emphasis on neglected trifles. (This from Angelo Pellegrini, "The neglected trifles: the garden, the cellar, the simple pleasure of the dinner hour, a scrupulous husbandry in the home, the quiet joy of modest achievement." The Unprejudiced Palate.)
2. I will give up my need to know exactly where I am going. Why not let the road of this coming year unfold in wonderful, challenging, and unexpected ways? Is control really that important?
And one more, if I have time. 3. I would like to design packaging for CDs that does not require two hours and a weapons-grade machete to open it.
Have a great New Year.
Yesterday I had a good morning. Once again when I recollect myself, I again find the same simple demands of God: gentleness, humility, charity, interior simplicity; nothing else is asked of me. And suddenly I saw clearly why these virtues are demanded, because through them the soul becomes inhabitable for God and for one's neighbor in an intimate and permanent way. They make a pleasant cell of it. Hardness and pride repel, complexity disquiets. But humility and gentleness welcome, and simplicity reassures. The 'passive' virtues have an eminently social character. Raissa Maritain (Rassia's Journal)
For gentle reminders to PAUSE---to rest---look below.
For almost daily updates, follow my blog --
blog.terryhershey.com
(Of course there is nothing magical about January 1. In the Middle-Ages, Christians changed New Year's Day to December 25, the birth of Jesus. Then they changed it to March 25, a holiday called the Annunciation. In the sixteenth century, Pope Gregory XIII revised the Julian calendar, and the celebration of the New Year was returned to January 1. As far as I know, we've kept it at January 1 so that Dick Clark could have a job.)
Truth is, I'm not a resolution kind of guy. Mostly because it makes little sense to tell people I want to lose 20 pounds every year, while I'm eating chocolate cake and sipping a 20-yr-old Port Wine. Plus, I have a hard time making up my mind. Don't get me wrong. Change is good. We are, none of us (adults), victims. We choose. And I believe in "Living with Intention." Resolution is from the Latin resolutio, or resolvere meaning "to loosen or dissolve again," (re- + solvere) which was the original meaning of resolve. In other words, I will "determine or decide upon a course of action." It was first used in English around 1523.
But here's the deal. Change is one thing. But to assume that my life only begins after I move away from who I am now means that I will never find a place of acceptance.
As I was thinking about resolutions, I realized that I actually did have one. I want to clean my garage. This is an admirable idea until I look at the thermometer, which reads 37 degrees (inside the garage). I prayed for an exemption, and changed my resolution. Now, I want to heat my garage. I went shopping for a wood stove.
What tickles me is the way we've turned resolutions into an industry designed to sell products we cannot live without. Sure, resolutions are fun and lighthearted, but there's just enough of an expectation to make you think twice. On the TV (a commercial during the football game, while I'm scarfing chips and guacamole), I'm told that I will not just lose weight in the NEW YEAR. They guarantee it! (Oh yes. After you buy their product.)
I'm with Calvin on this. He is talking with Hobbes one day.
Hobbes: Whatcha doing?
Calvin: Getting rich!
Hobbes: Really?
Calvin: Yep. I'm writing a self-help book! There's a huge market for this stuff. First, you convince people there's something wrong with them. That's easy because advertising has already conditioned people to feel insecure about their weight, looks, social status, sex appeal, and so on. Next, you convince them that the problem is not their fault and that they're victims of larger forces. That's easy, because it's what people believe anyway. Nobody wants to be responsible for his own situation. Finally you convince them that with your expert advice and encouragement. They can conquer their problem and be happy!
Hobbes: Ingenious. What problem will you help people solve?
Calvin: Their addiction to self-help books! My book is called, "Shut up and stop whining: How to do something with your life besides think about yourself."
Hobbes: You should probably wait for the advance before you buy anything.
Calvin: The trouble is; If my program works, I won't be able to write a sequel.
(Bill Watterson, Calvin and Hobbes.)
We live in a culture where we can't get away from the notion that there's just one piece of knowledge--or information or advice or prayer or instruction or divine intervention--between happiness and us. And it just so happens, that when we are lucky enough to find that piece of advice, it's not the right one.
These days there are helpful books on every subject. But the simple knowledge is not the issue. It is the goal of making one perfect thing accompanied by the notion that if I could get just one small spot in my disordered life nailed down neatly and precisely, then I would at least feel I had a shot at some modicum of control over the rest of it. Frank Soos
The other alternative is to forget resolutions, and go with the time-honored New Year good luck rituals, from around the world. They are believed to bring good fortune and prosperity in the coming year.
Did you know that in WALES, at the first toll of midnight, the back door is opened and then shut to release the old year and lock out all of its bad luck. Then at the twelfth stroke of the clock, the front door is opened and the New Year is welcomed with all of its luck.
In CHINA, every front door is adorned with a fresh coat of red paint, red being a symbol of good luck and happiness. Although the whole family prepares a feast for the New Year, all knives are put away for 24 hours to keep anyone from cutting themselves, which is thought to "cut" the family's good luck for the next year.
Even here in the UNITED STATES, at midnight we kiss whoever is close by, standing under a holly sprig because the legend says that a kiss is purification into the new year.
I just read the list of the most popular resolutions for the coming year. There is nothing new. Losing weight is first, followed by quitting smoking and getting a job. My favorite two create quite the conundrum: one is to be happy and the other is to fall in love. Good luck making that work.
Our winter garden is a picture of simple elegance now, the lawn etched silver with hoarfrost, and the structure of the garden unambiguous, with the "bones" of trees and woody evergreen shrubs. I walk the garden, happily, knowing there is little work to be done. A half-moon rests in the eastern sky. And as I walk, I realize that I do, in fact, have a resolution or two.
1. I will never give up an emphasis on neglected trifles. (This from Angelo Pellegrini, "The neglected trifles: the garden, the cellar, the simple pleasure of the dinner hour, a scrupulous husbandry in the home, the quiet joy of modest achievement." The Unprejudiced Palate.)
2. I will give up my need to know exactly where I am going. Why not let the road of this coming year unfold in wonderful, challenging, and unexpected ways? Is control really that important?
And one more, if I have time. 3. I would like to design packaging for CDs that does not require two hours and a weapons-grade machete to open it.
Have a great New Year.
Yesterday I had a good morning. Once again when I recollect myself, I again find the same simple demands of God: gentleness, humility, charity, interior simplicity; nothing else is asked of me. And suddenly I saw clearly why these virtues are demanded, because through them the soul becomes inhabitable for God and for one's neighbor in an intimate and permanent way. They make a pleasant cell of it. Hardness and pride repel, complexity disquiets. But humility and gentleness welcome, and simplicity reassures. The 'passive' virtues have an eminently social character. Raissa Maritain (Rassia's Journal)
For gentle reminders to PAUSE---to rest---look below.
For almost daily updates, follow my blog --
blog.terryhershey.com
Poems / Prayers
Tonight,
my wish for you
is a perfect evening sky.
the classic one-third moon
that is every storybook's
illustration of nighttime---
enough stars for you
to hand one out
to everyone you love,
with enough left over
to give you pinhole peeks
into heaven.
Merry Christmas
(Posted on my blog blog.terryhershey)
What can be said in New Year rhymes,
That's not been said a thousand times?
The new years come, the old years go,
We know we dream, we dream we know.
We rise up laughing with the light,
We lie down weeping with the night.
We hug the world until it stings,
We curse it then and sigh for wings.
We live, we love, we woo, we wed,
We wreathe our prides, we sheet our dead.
We laugh, we weep, we hope, we fear,
And that's the burden of a year.
Ella Wheeler Wilcox
Dear Lord,
please give me
A few friends who understand me and remain my friends;
A work to do which has real value,
without which the world would be the poorer;
A mind unafraid to travel, even though the trail be not blazed;
An understanding heart;
A sense of humor;
Time for quiet, silent meditation;
A feeling of the presence of God;
The patience to wait for the coming of these things,
With the wisdom to recognize them when they come.
Amen.
News and Notes
BE INSPIRED THIS WEEK
Two BRAND NEW Terry Videos --- SHINE (I and II)
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Rest in the Garden. New Winter Photos from Terry's garden.
Now archived on Zenfolio. Check them out, and enjoy.
Terry's garden
This is the wonderful single from the great and the good in the music industry, radio and TV. We are very grateful to all of them for giving their time and talent to help BBC Children in Need. You will be able to buy this from HMV as a single from Tesco's or from www.charitygoods.com
youtube.com/love
On June 24, Iranian Superstar Andy Madadian went into an LA recording studio with Jon Bon Jovi, Richie Sambora and American record producers Don Was and John Shanks to record a musical message of worldwide solidarity with the people of Iran. This version of the old Ben E. King classic is not for sale. It's intended to be downloaded and shared by the Iranian people, to give voice to the sentiment that all people of the world stand together. The handwritten Farsi sign in the video translates to "we are one". If you know someone in Iran - or someone who knows someone in Iran - please share this link
youtube.com/standbyme
FAVORITES from last week:
Celtic Woman from the Helix Center in Dublin, Ireland performing A Christmas Celebration.
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Watch Terry on 30 Good Minutes - The Power of Pause
New Video. Plus, Video interview. Plus, Audio download.
Terry.30GoodMinutes
Silent Night, Sarah McLachlan (Video from the Christmas Carol Service 2008 in Aix en Provence, France)
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Piano healing Songs at Christmas - Ron Noecker
Christmas
Download a FREE song.
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4. Rest in the Garden. Photos from Terry's
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Now
archived on Zenfolio.
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5. Power of Pause Book
52 Best Sabbath Moments
from the
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