Goodbye 2021! Hello 2022!

Let's get it all out shall we?:

"F#ck you 2021!"

"Geez, 2021 sucked!"

"I am so glad that hell is over!"

"Hope this new year is better."

"So-n-so died. 2021 is the worst year ever!"

So on, and so forth. Now that we got that vent out of the way, how about we focus on living life and celebrating the possibilities of joy and happiness to be had. How do you want this next 12 months to go? What was the perfect year for you? What was the worst? How about thinking about life in general and stop focusing on a period of time that is a man made construct.

I get it. We measure the passage of time with years. We also tend to hold on to "bad" and "good" events that happen in a year and assign how "good" or "bad" that year was based off of, not only what happens in our own personal lives, but we heap what happens in the world and on social media to pile as well. We then jump on this bandwagon of negativity, stewing in our own bad attitudes until the world is covered in this sad and pissy malaise.

Now before you jump in my butt, let me say that I am not downplaying anyone's tragedy, pain and turmoil. I am not downplaying the hate, sadness, war, and host of ills that plague this planet. I am pointing out that "good" and "bad" is relevant depending on the circumstances and how you let it affect your life. Don't get me wrong, I myself am not immune to what fresh hell the Universe and Man throw at me. I WORK HARD to make it my business to be in the world of healing, manifesting and positive change. I work hard, to stay calm, cool, collected, dignified and centered. Do I get angry? Yes. Do I get sad? Yes. Do I get anxious about things? Yes. I am a human being, but I don't let the outside events define who and what I am. In other words I practice NON-ATTACHMENT.

How does this relate to a new year? The first of the Four Noble Truths is "Life is suffering." Well duh! If you have lived long enough you will see that it is not all sunshine and roses. We are on a giant rock spinning through space, contending with fickle Mother Nature, its animals and the most challenging of all life on Earth-human beings. We were born into an environment of survival and strife. Knowing this, we can chose to power through the pain of living in an unstable world or we can chose to rise above adversity and not suffer. There is a big difference between pain and suffering. The first we may not have a choice in, the latter we definitely have a choice in.

So it doesn't matter if a year is "good" or "bad" because life is full of things that happen outside of our control. We can control how we chose to see each day, each week, each month, year, decade until we can no longer chose through death. Honor and celebrate the good things that happen in life, because there can be many. Grieve and cherish the losses. Let none of these define who you are as a great and shining light. Let none of these events keep you stuck in the past reliving sadness and horror. Do not get immersed in a cycle of negative thought and pessimism.

Life is going to continue. The bad will be balanced by the good. The good will be balanced by the bad and this cycle will continue as surely as birth and death. Stay true to the light that shines within you. Practice gratitude, thankfulness, and positive thinking every day. DO THE WORK, whether that be yoga, prayer, meditation, hobbies-something that fuels your soul and keeps you present and positive. Make the choice to see every moment your are alive, not just another year, worthwhile. You will see that each "year" is just a culmination

of a life lived well.

Happy New Year to you all. I hope you stay happy, healthy and blessed.