Starting 2008 With A Clean Slate

 
As we begin another year anew – and ain’t it grand... I rolled up my sleeves once again, grateful we can choose start all over again every 12 months! I am also grateful to fellow minister Kathy Nelson, who was ordained through Unity, who inspired me for the idea for my January theme – starting 2008 with a clean slate!

We were also talking about my upcoming surgery on Jan. 14th and how excited I am about it. Now, some of you are thinking, how in the world could I be excited about surgery!? Well, I am having a tendon transplant in my left leg/ankle/foot that will allow me to walk again for the first time in almost 12 years (1996) without the pesky leg brace I have worn since I had a spinal fusion in August of that same year. So, yup – you bet, I am EXCITED!!! I am looking forward to wearing pretty shoes that don’t have velcro or lace up the front so that they fit over the brace, I am looking forward to wearing skirts that don’t come down to my ankles and make me look like Cousin It, I’m looking forward to DANCING and taking long walks without the plastic of the brace rubbing blisters where blisters should never dare to go...oh – so many things that either I have not been able to do, or have felt too uncomfortable to do for the past 12 years (either physically or metaphorically).

Standing on Your Own

I have also been well aware of the fact that it was also 12 years ago in May of 1996, that I was ordained. I remember that one of my fellow, newly-ordained ministers had asked me what I was going to do with my ministry. “One thing I’m NOT going to do”, I replied, “is pastor a church!”

You know that saying, “wanna know how to make God laugh – just tell her YOUR plans?”

I think S/he has been rolling around in the heavens for the past 12 years in hysterical laughter every time I make one of my, “I’ll never do that” pronouncements. I was thinking about that as I was writing up a recap to the planning committee for CWLC (Charlotte Whole Life Center) which will be the physical location of the rebirth of New Directions Community Church this year. I finally have nailed down a location for a weekly Sunday mediation service, and made a commitment to lead the group as spiritual leader to get this center going a full time, full-fledged holistic center here in Charlotte. Something that I never really thought was possible before... hmmm...what other “nevers” have I thought...

This year I’m going to start taking never out of my vocabulary!

This year I’m going to start putting into practice what I learned last year:

1. Allow change and flow to your life -- what I believed on Monday will change by Wednesday because of what happened on Tuesday!
2. Don't be afraid of saying "I don't know"
3. The more rules you have - the more rule breakers you can have.
4. Did I say, "learn to go with the flow”!?
5. You Can Pray to Allah, but you still need to tie up your camel.
6. Be your own captain AND your own crew
7. Don’t be afraid to ask for help
8. Give back to the community (the quickest path to enlightenment is through service)
9. Be Yourself
10. It’s about them not me
11. They are me - We are all one!
12. Sometimes you have to let go of outworn or toxic friendships and relationships in order to grow.
13. Fantasies are not the same as dreams
14. Goals need to be written down, refined, organized and acted upon. (see #5)
15. Meditate every single day or none of the above will, like, make much of a difference.

As I head toward not having to use a brace to help me stand or walk, I also am going through a lot of mental and emotional adjustments as well. It took me many years to get used to having a brace, now it will take some getting used to not having one. Just as the brace helped me to walk, I am realizing that it also has become a good excuse for not becoming fully engaged in other aspects of my life. There is some fear beginning to creep up from time to time, as I realize that I won’t have the “but I can’t do that, see.. I have this brace...” excuse to fall back on. Kinda’ sobering for an inspirational speaker/minister/teacher to realize – much less admit! But there it is. So along with the list of 15 things I learned last year, I’m beginning to compile a list of things I will have to learn to do again once I don’t have the brace as an excuse any more.

At the top of the list: walking 30 minutes a day! Getting back in touch with my body – loving my body – being grateful to by body – seeing my body as the temple of my soul...that kind of thing. Yup – that’s at the top of the list and probably a good part of the list.

What would you do, if you didn’t have your “brace” as an excuse? What is keeping you from reaching your highest potential? How about throwing it away – and having your transplant along with me this January and starting 2008 with a clean slate! Love yourself enough to do it.

I dare ya!