It is that time of year again where I reflect on this past year and I look forward to the year ahead. I used to share New Year resolutions. In 2018, I changed my resolutions to three words to live by in the coming year. In 2018, I chose minimalism, grace, and truth for 2019. Last year, I chose three verbs for 2020 – wisdom (seek), honor (speak), and joy (share). This year was a particularly thoughtful year because of the global pandemic due to the coronavirus coupled with my recent diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia.

A Watershed Year

When I reflect on the last six words chosen, I ask myself, “Have I grown as a person in living my message in mind, body, and spirit? Is my voice communicating my authentic self?”

The pandemic lockdown allowed several things to occur in my life. I was gratefully able to work remotely, which allowed me to spend a great deal of time at my second home in northwest Michigan near Lake Michigan. I spent much of my time when not working, in and near the lake, contemplating my life and looking toward the future. My thoughts surfed over waves of nostalgia as I am in the last year of a biological decade contemplating a new milestone birthday in 2021.

After recently reading my 2020 Words to Live By post and reading my earlier posts on COVID-19, the word cancer appeared in my writing long before I was surprised with my leukemia diagnosis this past September. I thought about my lockdown sabbatical at Lake Michigan. It was one of the best summers of my life. Now cancer would like me to negatively dwell on all these thoughts to conclusively ask, “Is this it? God granted me one last glorious summer, my favorite season. Will this be my last Christmas? Will I be here at the end of my next biological decade?”

I have a positive prognosis for living a normal lifetime even with CML providing I take my daily chemotherapy for whatever days God grants me. I have not reached remission; but my oncologist is pleased with my progress these two and half months. I remain positive in mind, body, and spirit.

COVID and cancer

2020 has helped me to define how I choose to live my life beginning now and not waiting for the ball to drop on 2021.

Mindfulness

In my post, Iron Sharpens Iron of September 7, 2020, I shared my intentions and afterthoughts of my August summer vacation.

August prepared me for what I would learn by the end of September.

Life can change in a moment. I take into 2021, the first lesson of 2020 with the word: mindfulness.

When I think about mindfulness, I think about the three principles of unities in drama from Aristotle’s Poetics – a play’s requirement to have a single action occurring in a single place and within a single day – unity of action, unity of place, and unity of time.

Now let me be clear, I am not stating that every day be dramatically filled with vivid emotion or conflict; but if it is, I will allow myself to live in that moment. I will give my full attention to only what is in the present, experiencing my thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment. In other words, I will not dwell on yesterday or worry about tomorrow. No more climbing ladders of any type. We only have today, right?

Creativity

When I reflect on what brings me the most joy outside of my family and friends, I think of being creative. Creativity to me is an exploration, being authentic, whether is it writing, crafting, designing, gardening, or simply nature.

One important lesson of the pandemic lockdown is eliminating negative connectivity.

Negativity in mind, body, and spirit eliminates creativity of any kind. Therefore, I am eliminating the negativity that seeps into my daily life. Negativity takes up too much space in the unities of life. For example, I am deactivating my personal Facebook timeline and eliminating negative relationships relating to any noun – person, place, or thing.

This day forward I am investing in my creative-self and wherever that creativity takes me without judgment or promises. Legacy is for others to decide so why dwell on it.

Discernment

While all words that I have chosen to live by are important, this next word, discernment is critical.

Am I living my message?

To live my message, establishing boundaries becomes especially important in mind, body, and spirit. Personality and character are often thought of as being the same. However, our personality is our inner spirit, and our character is our outer nature. My personal devotion to Jesus Christ brings the two together – my personality and my character. That transformation was brought about by love, the overflowing result of being in true fellowship with Christ. I cannot allow anyone or anything to invade that relationship.

People bound in love for one another without judgment, worthiness, or differences are people who make the difference in the world. I will do my best to respond in love. I will also respond to bigotry as if the people others demean are witnessing my response. My relationships will either survive or they won’t. These are the natural consequences.

Discernment, for me, is the ability to distinguish intellectually or recognize spiritually without the world dictating to me how to live my life in the moment. If I am living my message today, in this moment, then I am making a difference in the world. If making a difference in the world is not important, then why am I here?

Mindfulness, Creativity, and Discernment

The three words I add to my list to live by.

May everyone know the true peace and joy in 2021.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, Good Health and Prosperity for all!

Peace and Joy,

The Blogging Owl

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