Most people agree that the world will not end today, despite
the Mayans’ prediction. Some have even interpreted the Mayan calendar to mean
that the world will not end, but rather that today will mark the beginning of a
new era. Some say that December 21, 2012
will be the end of fighting, war, bigotry, and violence; and the beginning of
brother/sisterhood, love, and compassion.
Given the events we have seen this year, I certainly hope this is true.
A week ago today, 20 beautiful young children and six adults
were murdered in an elementary school in Connecticut.
Every day, women are being murdered by spouses and boyfriends—people who
they are supposed to be able to trust.
Every day, soldiers are being ripped away from their families to fight wars, many
of whom never return home. I truly,
truly hope this will all end. It has
to.
I want today to be an end of sorts for me, too. I want – no,
I’m going to make today be an end
to self-criticism and blame, depression, anxiety, and fear. Oh yes, please let it be the end of
fear. So much of the pain in our lives
is caused by fear. Fear of being a
failure. Fear of being hurt. Fear that
you’re not good enough, strong enough, kind enough, attractive enough … just,
enough. And I believe much of the tragedy
and violence we’ve seen in our world is caused by this fear as well. Fear that leads to insecurities. Fear that leads us to turn on ourselves and
one another. Fear that is consuming our
lives and our world. It’s time for this world to end.
Today, I commit to starting a new life, a new world for me and
those around me—a world based on love, not on fear. I commit to turning all negative or fearful
thoughts into loving ones. Instead of
thinking, “ugh, I didn’t make it to the gym” or “I can’t believe I ate that,” I
will think, “I love and am grateful for my body.” This love will inevitably
encourage me to care for my body much more than any amount of self-criticism or
blame ever could.
Instead of being afraid to take chances in my career, I will
be grateful and courageous. Instead of
thinking, “I can’t,” I will think, “I am capable of anything, and I will.”
Instead of being
afraid of failing as a mother, I will be loving and grateful. I will follow the motto I am constantly
sharing with expectant parents: Just love them, then love them some more. And
when you don’t know what else to do, just keep on loving them. With this much love, there can be no room for fear.
Instead of being afraid in my marriage, I will be grateful
for my amazing husband and partner. Being separated so many times by
deployments, unaccompanied tours, and schools makes it difficult not to
fear. But, instead of thinking, “I can’t
believe he’s gone again,” I will
think, “I know he didn’t want to go, and we will get through this together.”
Instead of being afraid to reach out to friends for help and
support, I will feel grateful for the love in my life, and send out love and
gratitude in return. I will surround
myself with love—both by giving and receiving.
Starting today, I choose not to be afraid. I choose to think, feel, react, and live by love. I don’t have power over whether
the world will change today. But, I have
power over whether I do. And today, I choose
to make a new beginning. Starting today,
I choose a new world. I choose love.
Happy December 21, 2012. Let’s make it a great one.
No comments:
Post a Comment