Happy New Year

Well, Cinderella, it's time to start again. It's winter, the weather is changing the landscape, people are celebrating the holidays. It's the beginning of a new year. Winter signifies the end of the old year. It's time to finish things to make room for the new. People talk about spring cleaning, but winter is when things are finished. Death is associated with winter, but that doesn't mean literal death. It means the end of something. It's another metaphor for change.

Winter is supposed to kill off the bad, the diseased, the bugs. It's a check system to keep nature in balance. If it didn't work, we would be overrun with insects alone in no time. This is a time to let go of the old. This is when you shake off the baggage and negative emotion of the past year, or years.

There are several things to do to be ready for the coming year. Learning to meditate would work wonders for most people on the planet. Say goodbye to mean people, bad attitudes, bad habits. Look at what did not work for you in 2008. If it doesn't work, get rid of it. Look at what you wanted to accomplish and decide what you would still like to do.

Now is the time to commit to accomplishing these things. Don't make resolutions. No one ever keeps those. Make a decision to have faith in yourself and your ability to do what you set out to do. Make a list of goals to meet for the year. Be reasonable with yourself about what you hope to do, but make yourself stretch to make those goals. Don't be easy on yourself. No one else will be.