The end of the year brings about its own transition – the ending of a cycle (the year ahead), the ending of a season (and birth of spring), the start of new beginnings in the year ahead.

Running in Circles

A large part of the year end was about eagerly preparing my school books for the new year (yes, an absolute nerd); then it progressed to arranging the party or gathering to be at for the festive celebrations; then it was about rearranging and running around a lot for a whole bunch of “festive” stuff.

No wonder there wasn’t much I looked back on fondly, or *sheepish* even remembered.  There was a lot of chasing, and no center-ing; pacing & no pausing.  As I looked to live more purposefully, the direction it took me across a period of time to this year was that I had been running in circles, when really, it was about honouring the cycles.

Honouring the Cycles

The cycle of life ebbs and flows with the nature of life.  Cycles exist in a new season, new year, births, deaths, birthdays, anniversaries, recovery, change of jobs, change of homes, relationship loss, marriage, engagement, menopause, puberty, new projects or in fact, in every Monday and so on.

I want to honour my year end – not that it is about a grand celebration or extravagant settings.  To honour here, means three steps:

• First, to pay respects to the cycle (year) past, celebrate the road walked. 
• Next, to center and ground, to meditate and contemplate, then craft out what is a suitable vision ahead for the new cycle (year).
• Finally, to count the blessings and express gratitude for what I already have and what is to come ahead.

I would like to have spread it across a week or two, block myself in some yoga spa retreat and hibernate from the world.  The truth is, my help is on her festive leave, I’m away from work but more tired out from chasing my kids, managing the housework and tending to my own errands on a full-time basis.

As this year begins the first time I purposefully engage in a mini-ritual to honour the cycle transition of the year end, it seems there really is no restrictions on: how long it needs to be done, having everything to work around me before I start, how big I set my visions to be, what I set my visions to be, having to do each step sequentially as long as all get done.

There are three more days to the year end – are you running in circles or honouring the cycles?  And big hint if you find yourself running in circles (it’s not rocket science), just stop.  And start any step in ‘honouring the cycle’ instead.