Is it safe to say a tunnel on the trail is a good metaphor for the new year? I think so. There’s a great mystique of coming upon an underground passage and wondering what’s ahead. As you enter one end, you have an immediate narrowing of your vision. But as you step out the other end, a wide world of possibilities opens before you.
I have this same feeling each January when I come back to work. My office is clean, my calendar is ready for take-off, and I have a daring optimism for the ideas brewing in my head.
This year I’m also sprucing things up with a new (to me) iMac. As one who favors her prehistoric technology like an old pair of jeans, this alone is a venturesome move. While waiting for its delivery, I’m taking care of a few odds and ends. Some of these might be good for you too.
January’s Odds & Ends
- Bedside Companion for Gardners: A lovely gift from my daughter. It’s guiding my 2023 goal for daily reading; i.e. more books, less Facebook!
- Update our Last Letter of Instruction. I made this interactive pdf for a financial client and it’s a good thing to have on hand. It’s a helpful guide for those who have to manage my affairs when I no longer can.
- Update our household inventory for insurance purposes. I also write for an insurance company. If I’m sharing this advise with others, there’s no reason for me to fall behind. Nor you!
- Organize our important documents. We have a family safe but throughout the year we get lazy and just shove things in. Time for the annual cleaning!
- Update my business logo. I hate doing my own logo. I can do for others but not for myself, which is common. Maybe it’s time to hand it off to someone else?
- Update my website. The bakers children eat no cake, and so goes my website. It’s terribly out of date, especially my portfolio. What about yours?
Happy Perihelion Day!
Perihelion Day—when the earth is closest to the sun. The intricacies in which God created his universe are simply amazing. Even though they’re far beyond our understanding, the correlations of nature to daily life are everywhere.
Speaking of, here’s a great prayer to start each day for the next 365 days. It’s acronym is my church’s name: Here. Open. Prepare. Equip.
Here’s my version for today: Here I am, Lord. Open my heart and mind to your creation, your grace, your will—to YOU. Prepare me for the plans you have for me today. Equip me with what I need to share your love. Amen.
May your 2023 be blessed and the trail ahead be prosperous!