Happy 2023, my friends. From the bottom of my heart, I wish you a happier, more peaceful, more healthful year than the last, regardless of what 2022 did or did not fulfill for you.
I do not have any grand resolutions or marked plans to turn over this new leaf, so I don’t have those to post. I did not take the time to go through the many hundreds of pictures on my phone to curate the best from each month of 2022. Instead, I thought I might share some recent inspiration. Maybe you will find some gems, as I did.
This week, I read Michelle Obama’s new book, The Light We Carry. As always, I became swept up into this woman’s life and words. This book read part like a self-help guide and part like a memoir, a sort of encore to her Becoming. Though I did not necessarily plan it to be so, reading this book as we rang in a New Year was just-right timing.
Each chapter is named, indicated below. Next to those are the bits I pulled (of course, any misinterpretations of her message are my mistake alone), ones I hope to sew into my New Year. Maybe I will be more graceful and grow in my wisdom. Maybe I will mentor better and challenge myself more. Certainly, I will continue to love deeply.
- The Power of Small – There will always be big stuff in the world, too big to comprehend at times. It is okay to find the small to recenter, to rejuvenate. Pick up sewing, bake a loaf of bread. Do this, and then come back to the big.
- Decoding Fear – “As we grow older, our response to fear and stress becomes more nuanced. We may no longer scream and run away, but we retreat in other ways. Avoidance is the equivalent of a child’s shriek.” Our fearful mind makes us comfortable on the couch. When I read this, I asked myself, what shouldn’t I avoid this year?
- Starting Kind – Each day, start kind to yourself. Then, start kind to others. Be the parent whose face lights up when your kid enters the room.
- Am I Seen? – It is okay to know where you stand. Michelle tells the story of watching Olympic gymnasts with so much awe that she decided to take up the sport herself as a young girl. But, as it turned out, it wasn’t for her. She would not become that herself. “I’d picked a good hero, but an impossible path.” But, she goes on to write, “No one can make you feel bad if you feel good about yourself.”
- My Kitchen Table – Invite people to your table who uplift you, who allow you to be genuine, who make you smile and also share your truths. Tend to your friendships; they are active, not passive.
- Meet My Mother- Michelle told the story about coming home one day as a young student and complaining about her math teacher to her mother. Her mother listened and then told her that the teacher had math knowledge to share. So … maybe she should just go to school to get that math. The teacher didn’t have to like her and Michelle didn’t have to like the teacher. “You can come home to be liked. You are always liked here.” What a beautiful thing to say to a child. I loved this. Another gem that was advised: “Parent the child you’ve got.”
- The Whole of Us- I so deeply related to the anecdote that was shared about watching her two daughters sleep. All of a sudden, she was struck by the knowledge that she’d never known even half their thoughts, and never would. She wrote, “We’re alone, each one of us. That’s the ache of being human.” But, we are better off building whatever small bridges we can among us. We all bring something to others, small or big. “The wholeness of your story adds to the wholeness of mine.”
I hope your January 1 is whatever you hoped it might be. I am here at home, reading and walking the puppy. I haven’t showered yet, and Harper and Jameson are in their pajamas, too. I opted out on kale and opted in for a loaf of Irish soda bread, smeared with butter and fig jam. Later, we will have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa. It is easy to light up when my family walks into the room, but today I will remember its importance. And I will try to light up when Finn walks in … even if he’s eating my mitten … again.
And thank you, Obamas, for continuing to inspire me. You are my Olympic gymnasts, still.
