growth – Daily Compass

New Year’s Eve

New Year’s Eve is traditionally a time of setting New Year’s resolutions, promises of how we will be better in the coming year than we were in the last. New Year’s Day is traditionally a time of breaking those resolutions. Perhaps instead of resolutions it would be better to articulate dreams or fantasies of what our lives can be, and the seeds that we already see present in our lives which could make those dreams come true.

What seed of something good do you hope will grow in your life in the year to come?

Winter Solstice

The winter solstice marks the longest night of the year, the moment in time when the light is at its lowest ebb. Which means that it also marks the moment when, imperceptibly, the earth tilts toward spring, and the light begins to grow.

Where do you find signs of growing light in your life?

Advent Starts

Advent begins today—a time of waiting with joyful anticipation. Which is not how we usually think of waiting. More often we regard waiting as tedious or annoying or an interruption to our carefully planned life. But it doesn’t work to hurry the growth of a plant or the birth of a child—some things only come when the time is right, and one might as well celebrate the time that leads to fulfillment.

What do you wait for with joy in your heart?

Back to School

Most children have been back to school for a week or more, but somewhere in my consciousness, the day after Labor Day is fixed as the return to school. So I’m thinking that for those of us who left formal schooling behind many years ago, maybe today should mark Learn Something Day. Of course, any day is a good day to learn something new, but today could be an exceptionally good day to stretch your mind a bit.

What might you explore today about our amazing world and the people and other beings we share it with?