New Year, New Outlook

Did you watch The Good Place? I was late to this particular party, but my family and I just finished streaming all four seasons of it. In one episode, when he’s explaining why he’s hesitant to get involved with her romantically, Chidi says to Eleanor, “You know the noise a fork makes when it’s stuck in the garbage disposal? That’s the noise my brain makes all the time.”

I didn’t 100% relate to that, but I related to it enough that it stuck with me and gave me pause.

And then I got to thinking—what if life were different this year? What if I didn’t have to take everything so seriously?

So, my biggest wish for 2025 is that I’ll be able to take things a little bit lighter. To make space for joy to find me. To find the time to read poems like this one, by Dean Young, that remind me of all the beautiful magic that's present in this world. To open my mind to the possibility that maybe just maybe everything is going to be okay and I can spend even just a little bit less time rehearsing worst-case scenarios in my head (monkey mind, take note: you have yet to predict the future accurately even once so far in all these years of worrying!) I’d also like to lean into the idea that, even if things aren’t okay, I have the strength and resilience to handle it. I can cope.

Thinking along these lines made me think of two things—one, back in grad school, a good friend shared a meditation with me that involved sitting with your palms placed open and facing upward on your lap. The idea was this posture would help you stay open and relaxed—you could practice this pose, and its accompanying mental stance during meditation, but you could also pull up this posture in your mind when you were in a particularly stressful situation or having a difficult conversation. Approaching life with open, upturned hands means spending more time in a state of trust. The vibe is more positive optimism and less grasping, white-knuckling, less trying to control others and outcomes. Two, I am a fan of tapping/EFT; to that end, I subscribe to Nick Ortner’s newsletter. He shared these mantras for the new year recently:

In this new year, I deserve to feel whole, just as I am.

I don’t need to change anything about myself in order to be enough.

I am loved and worthy, as I am right now.

As I move forward, I welcome opportunities to further learn and evolve.

I am growing each and every day.

I believe in myself and my ability to make positive changes.

I am open to the new adventures to come.

I choose to feel inspired and hopeful.

I love who I am, and who I am becoming.

In this moment, I accept myself as a beautiful work in progress.

What kinds of beautiful things could you create if you turned toward life with an open hand? What could you do with all the time freed up by giving up fork-grinding? My wish for you in 2025 is that you come to truly know and embrace yourself. May we all have the grace to accept ourselves where we are today, and feel excited about who we are becoming.

New Revolution's Day cartoon by Nathan Pyle. For more info, go to: https://www.nathanwpyle.art

Believe in magic? How could we not?

Here’s to 2025! 🔆

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William Jackson Harper plays Chidi Anagonye on The Good Place. You can stream The Good Place on Netflix!