Twenty Ten

On the first morning of the new year, I have a tradition of meeting a few friends to walk the labyrinth at The University of St. Thomas, near my house, and begin the year with a meditative quiet moment, to help me focus. I love this labyrinth because it is beautiful, and peaceful, and it is surrounded by rose bushes. I think this works very well for me, because just 10 days or so before, I spent some time on the winter solstice thinking about my goals for the coming months. I have had some time to ruminate on my thoughts, and this tradition helps me move forward on a clear path into the future.

In the past, the labyrinth has always represented a path, the path of my life, and my focus has been to just stay on my path, no matter how it twists and turns--there have been a lot of twists and turns--as long as I stay on the path, I will find my way to the goal. It has worked. I have navigated some incredible things in the last few years, and managed to get through the challenges, still on course.

However, this year, I noticed something different. I have walked this particular labyrinth many times, not just on new year's day, and never been so struck by the fountains. There are 3 fountains at one end of the labyrinth, and they shoot up, and return, sort of cycling through, and returning to reuse the same water. It is like turning and returning, as in the labyrinth walk itself. The fountains were the most significant thing, throughout the 30 minutes or so of walking. I heard the water, rushing, flowing, turning, returning. I watched the water. I smiled, because I have felt much more like my life is going with the flow lately, than staying on the path. This metaphor found a way to appear in my clear consciousness this morning.

I also was aware, during the walk, of passing other people who were also enjoying the labyrinth on this beautiful, clear, cold, sunny morning. It was a reminder that I don't walk alone. The smile or nod of a stranger, the hand of a friend, are always there, and will reach out to me, if I am willing to look up.

After walking we talked for a short time. The fountains were striking, not only to me this year. There are 3 fountains, and to the 5 of us the fountains symbolized: "I am, I can, I will" "Past, Present, Future" "Body, Mind, Spirit" "Faith, Hope, Love" among others. Then, because we were all freezing, we headed off to have coffee, and get warm.

So when people ask me how I started this decade, I will say, walking a path, listening to water flowing with friends, on a beautiful peaceful morning, surrounded by roses.

More Than a Stream of Consciousness

This week, I had the opportunity to hear Scott Harrison speak. He is the founder of charity: water. I have, at various times in my life, wanted to work on clean water initiatives. The statistics are staggering. There are over a billion people in the world who don't have access to clean water. Their drinking water is unsafe. The very thing needed to sustain life, can end life instead. Women and children are not educated, because they can't go to school. Fetching the day's water for the family takes too much time. Walking miles with heavy containers, quite literally, breaks the spines of these people.

However, this is not the focus of this post.

It has been frustrating to me that every time I think that I am really going to do something, besides donate a little money, to be involved in clean water efforts, something in my life interrupts me, and stops the flow of energy, of passion, my need to leave the world better somehow than it was when I arrived.

Cancer, bad health, dishonest husband, bankruptcy, moving, divorce, being a single mom of 4 children, transitioning from home schooling to having all my children in school--life's bumps in the road. However, it was the latest blip than made me feel the need to take stock of things, and to finally pursue some things I have been wanting to do.

So, now the point of this post. (And you thought from the title this was going to be more than a stream of consciousness!) I have been talking about writing forever. However, successful writers all have one thing in common. They write. I'm done talking, I'm writing. I'm not quite sure how this will take shape, but I have a lot I want to share, so this will be a journey of discovery for me, and hopefully some entertainment for you, my readers.

Welcome, as we together navigate the babbling brook, or rushing river, that is life.