January 01-The Rooms of our Lives

“We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year’s Day. “~Edith Lovejoy Pierce

January is named for the Roman god Janus, the God of the Gateway, the keeper of doors and beginnings and ruler of “the Journey”. Janus possessed two faces; one to look forward and the other forever looking back, able to see at one time the past and the future. Imagine the ability to keep apprised of past mistakes without encumbrances but able to face the future and show up fully to each day. Quite a feat. The past constantly tugs at us no matter how we try to banish it. The trick is to learn from the past, to not repeat failure but to not beat ourselves up too badly when we succumb to old habits.

We tend to be harsh with ourselves on New Year’s Day. The resolutions we make often result not in progress forward, but a hard look at what went wrong last year.  We spend too much time hashing over mistakes and not nearly enough time sizing up potential.

“We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched.” says author Ellen Goodman. “Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives… not looking for flaws, but for potential.”

Search your rooms for musical potential but search too for life potential. Balance life with art. The musician is a craftsman, and as such, can mold and carve life and work creatively.

Allow your soul to search the rooms of your heart and your head and resolve to seek potential and possibilities. Tidy your corners. Straighten your thoughts and let this new year’s day be one of hope and happiness.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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