I'm not sure I know what to say on this particular New Year's Eve. I think I know what not to say. "Happy New Year." Even when you believe you understand what's going on and why, it is still hard to access a "happy place" in the midst of pandemic illness and death, entire towns and cities razed by fire, tornados and flooding, and the dashing of people's hopes of an imminent return to "normal". Things are moving so fast, that I almost don't dare say "Happy New Year", in case friends' lives are in turmoil.
Right now, I feel "somber". I still seem to be able to access what I believe to be the truth and the longterm positivity of our current moment, but it is balanced out by feeling the pain of people racing out their doors to the car, fleeing for their lives before a wall of flames. Will any American want to watch movie thrillers ever again? They've become our life.
It just occurred to me that, in a sense, my choices over the last thirty years "inoculated" me to face this time, or at least prepared me. I learned to live without a real, permanent home, without adequate income or medical care, without partner or family, without any measure of worldly success or recognition, and without old paradigm spiritual comforts and constructs. I've lived largely without a modern safety net.
So, what to say to people in this moment?
Look every day for something you love. In the midst of chaos, uncertainty, doors slamming shut, and fear, be good to yourself and find one beautiful or lovable thing to care about or embrace. Notice the good. Notice the one thing that goes well. The one deer that runs down the street or the one star you can see through the clouds. Love and beauty may seem fragile or even pointless right now, but they are the only path through uncertainty and terror. What to say instead of "Happy New Year"? Perhaps, "May the New Year bring more love and truth to your life". Such a new year may not always be "happy", but it almost certainly will bring unexpected blessings.
