I'm bowing together.
So finding a posture that is supportive for you for the next,
Oh,
I don't know,
Maybe 14 minutes or so.
And settling in,
Taking a few breaths to settle in,
Connect to yourself,
Connect to the earth,
Get grounded.
And then just inviting this inquiry,
Who in 2023 helped or supported me in some way?
And inviting you to call up their names,
Their faces,
Think back on the moments of help or support that each of them offered,
Really savoring those moments all over again.
If you did that then,
Or for the first time,
If you didn't,
Both are fine.
And now take a moment and bow to each of them,
Each of those people who helped you,
Supported you.
And maybe you have words of acknowledgement or gratitude or maybe just a simple bow.
And you can do this actually physically,
Put your hands together in what's called Anjali Mudra or prayer position at the heart.
And just a small bow to each of those people.
And then who in 2023 was kind,
Was compassionate to you and maybe made something difficult in your life,
Just a little bit easier to bear?
Might be the same people,
Might be someone different.
Call up their names,
Their faces,
Recall the moments of compassion that they brought your way and see how this was them being Bodhisattva to you,
Really taking that in and then bow to each of them for their compassion,
Their care,
Or maybe just for being who they are,
Maybe just for being here on the earth at the same time as you.
And who in 2023 was a teacher for you?
Could be a formal teacher,
But it could also be someone who helped you see something new,
Helped you wake up a little or wake up a lot or taught you something,
Even though maybe at the time it wasn't the easiest lesson.
And recall their names and remember their faces and remember what they taught you.
Allow those teachings to surface from whatever place in your consciousness.
They reside maybe deep down or maybe right at the surface so that you can see those teachings and appreciate them and appreciate the teacher and bow,
Bow to the teachings or bow to the teacher maybe they're not different.
And last,
But definitely not least for 2023,
Bow to yourself.
This beautiful person who did their best to sit every day,
To stay connected to others,
To be generous,
To be patient,
To be kind,
To be compassionate,
To be courageous,
Equanimous.
Take a few moments to think of the mornings you practiced or evenings when it might've been easier to jump into your day or night or the moments you stayed connected when it would have been easier to silo or take all the credit,
The times you were generous,
When you were feeling fearful or patient,
When you were anxious or kind,
When your teeth wanted to clench or compassionate when pity was sort of poking at your side or wise to make each of those choices.
And let as many of those moments as you can recall come up on your internal screen as vividly as they will and bow to each of them and to you,
To yourself for doing those things and being that person.
Bow to yourself for all the good work you did in 2023,
For the good being that you are and for not giving up,
Not giving in.
And now all of that,
It's in our hearts,
In our storehouse consciousness.
And even though we're maybe gonna let go of the specifics,
We can keep just that goodness in mind,
Let it become a part of the fabric of our lives.
And in doing that,
Allow it to be onward leading,
To be something we can call on as we move forward into we know not what in 2024.
I love what Amanda Gorman says in her beautiful New Year's poem from 2021.
She says,
Come look up with kindness yet for even solace can be sourced from sorrow.
We remember not just for the sake of yesterday,
But to take on tomorrow.
And I think we're probably going to have to do that in 2024.
I look out in my imagination into 2024 and it looks like there will be plenty to take on.
So how can we bow in 2024?
What are our aspirations for next year?
Which I like,
I like the word aspirations because it feels big and wide and spacious and onward leading and it also feels forgiving.
If I aspire to practice more and I'm unable to for whatever reasons,
It feels like there's room for that to be okay.
And for me to aspire to do just a little bit better the next day.
So let's take the last few minutes that we have together and ask ourselves,
What are my general aspirations for 2024?
And this is something I'm going to sit with for the weekend and I invite you to do that too so you might not know,
But take a moment and look and see what big picture aspirations do you already have for 2024?
And bow to those and maybe even make a note and then if you want to be a little bit more specific,
You can ask yourself,
What are my aspirations with respect to my work in 2024?
And that could be how much business do I hope to bring in?
How much progress do I aspire to make in serving the communities that I serve?
Or this could be an interpersonal thing as in like,
How am I going to heal or transform my relationship with that colleague,
That client,
That staff member,
That judge?
And bow to these aspirations as well or make a note.
And then on a personal level,
What aspirations with respect to family and friends and acquaintances and strangers and the earth and with respect to your practice,
How often do you aspire to sit?
What states of mind do you want to be cultivating?
And also for self-care,
How do you aspire to take care of yourself in 2024?
And bowing to these aspirations,
Maybe making some notes if you want.
