2024. A new year, new beginning, new visions, new hopes…a restart. It can be a time of setting intentions, feeling inspired, a reprieve from the past or a stepping stone to the new you. But as I set my intentions, I realized it is also a time to reflect. Before setting out our new intentions, maybe it can be a time to remember the old version of ourselves. The one that reached the thresholds and brought us here.
“Looking back along a life’s journey, you come to see how each of the central phases of your life began at a decisive threshold where you left one way of being and entered another. A threshold is not simply an accidental line that happens to separate one region from another. It is an intense frontier that divides a world of feeling from another. Often a threshold becomes clearly visible only once you have crossed it. Crossing can often mean the total loss of all you enjoyed while on the other side; it becomes a dividing line between the past and the future. More often than not, the reason you cannot return to where you were is that you have changed; you are no longer the one who crossed over.” - John O’Donohue
So as I reflect, I will hold the space for the old me, four years ago, who lost her will to live and decided to finally fight back. I can be the witness to the thresholds in life I have reached, in order to evolve. I used to look back on the old me and feel a mix of emotions…shame, disappointment, regret and some on, but now I can feel a different kind of connection to her. It has morphed into a sense of admiration, grace and courage. So I will take this moment to say thank you to the old me as I now have the opportunity to continue on the path…
The many versions of our old selves paved the path and reached the thresholds to bring us to this present moment. They withstood obstacles on the ever winding and hilly terrain. And brought us to 2024, yes with some cuts and bruises but overall, it should serve as a reminder of how powerful we really are. All those times we fell down, can bring us peace, knowing they brought us to this present moment…to exactly where we need to be.
This forgiveness, compassion and acknowledgement can serve as momentum as we begin our new year with fresh eyes and an open heart.
The Way
