A reflections corner

This is a quiet space for noticing, pausing, and making sense of things as they are. These reflections are my own - they're not instructions or answers. They're not here to fix you, motivate you, or push you forward. They're simply offerings - words you can sit with, return to or leave behind. You don't need to read them in order. Or at all. 

Take what fits. Leave the rest. 

With January knocking on the door, I have been thinking about the expectations that so often arrive with it.  A sense that something should be different. That a new clock is resetting and we need to feel ready, clearer, more motivated than we do.

But for many people this time of year feels slower - heavier. Or simply quiet in a way that doesn't fit the noise around it. You might be feeling tired or run down after getting through to the end of the year (and for those of you celebrating Christmas, the Christmas highs and lows). You might be noticing habits or ways of coping that no longer feel right, or behaviours that have lingered longer than usual and may be becoming habits. Or, you might feel a gentle pull towards change. Not urgency. Not a plan. Just a sense that you want something to shift (or something wants to shift). 

None of these feelings are wrong. You're not being left behind. You don't need fixing.

I don't believe change often lasts when it's tied to a fixed reset date - think Monday, 1 January, Sober October etc. The premise is fair enough, but I believe lasting change often begins when we are ready and that often starts when there is enough space to simply notice what's happening around us. Turning the calendar over doesn't ready us, and I'd like to ask you to gently allow yourself to remove that expectation of should and replace it with kindness. 

If January is a time of rest for you, it's valid. If it's a time of reflection, that's enough. Reflection takes energy, so take it steady.   If it's a time of quiet readiness, that matters too. You don't need to start over on 1 January. You don't need to be certain. You just need to be where you are.

Whatever the start of the year looks like for you, I'm sending peace and love.