By Kathleen Leppek

It’s a new year for me, a beginning to fresh experiences and at the same time, it is the ending of the past ten years. In November I became 64, 6+4=10. Ten signifies the end of a cycle and the beginning of a new cycle. It is a transitional number symbolized by the wheel spinning round and if I make the right choices, it could even change to a spiral, transforming my life as I accept higher beginnings.  

At this transition, I set to work to review my year and gather my hopes for the future. What did I learn, what experiences are stuck unresolved, what experiences flowed with happiness.  What can I shed so I can bring new in. What happened of value.  It’s all there before me. Despite the challenges, I’ve learned to accept that life is full of opposition and joy.  I realize it is there to help me grow, help me become more aware and in that awareness, I make realizations to understanding and I become lighter, at ease, and content. That doesn’t mean the challenges go away. They seem to come in a line waiting for me to look at them so, I can take the next step of letting go and utilizing wisdom to choose a better way forward.

I acknowledge that all experience has value and that I can have courage to accept the truly lovely into my life and worth of a happening that allowed me to open up to something that was there that I didn’t previously see. I am able to gain in awareness as I discover hidden emotions and thoughts and accept the good and not so good because with accepting duality within myself and the levels of emotions and thoughts, I move to wholeness. The experiences have value but, at this time the pain, suffering, confusion, judgements, blocks, grief, anger, defensiveness etc. can be let go of. There is no need to carry the burden. I can use my energy for change and end the use of my energy for worry.  I can keep the wisdom of a lesson learned, with that experience giving me the wisdom to choose a better way forward, in any given moment with confidence, that I have the ability to find my way, while giving myself the grace and respect my being needs to truly let go. Sometimes we have happenings that we don’t put all of our thoughts and feelings into realization.  It’s time to put effort into that. The outcome leads to an enriched attitude; a life of quality. As I uncover blind spots, I become more conscious and more conscientious. In this crazy world of obstacles, I can give myself and others compassion while allowing others to have their experiences. I can accept the imperfections of physicality in myself and others and acknowledge the life of learning is not an easy road. I am still mystified by who all I am and this strange journey called life.

I can give my body, mind, spirit and heart the gifts I know all of me like best. I can sit in the wonder of nature, bask in the glow of friendship, appreciate the spontaneous awe of light-hearted play and wonderment. I can feel the contentment of a warm-heart connection with another. I can allow my heart to balance my being. I can relax with sunshine on my face.  I can share my heart, voice, and actions with love. I can enjoy the expansion, flow, beauty and openness of freedom… and I can share my hope for a better tomorrow for all humanity, all living things, and the marvel of this Earth while respecting the right for all to live in peace and freedom. I wish the light of the world to shine on and be available for all to accept in constructive betterment and as we move forward, I hope we hold each other in the light.

“Nothing in life is to be feared, it is to be understood. Now is the time to understand more, so that we may fear less.”  Marie Curie