Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed some rest and joy and love over the past few weeks. The way I figure it, we all deserve rest and joy and love.
As for me, I doubled down on downtime. Actually, to be completely frank, I’ve been doubling down on downtime since the US presidential election in November. But even aside from the election, the truth is that it’s easy to fall into despair. Looking at the news of the world, it’s natural to wonder what more you could have done or what more you can do in the future to stave off corruption, war, hate, or whatever ills the media chooses to highlight on a particular day. And I have to admit I was feeling pretty hopeless.
But after spending the last few months focusing on family, and friendship, and doing things that bring me peace and comfort, I realized that while I can’t control elections, or wars, or bigotry, what I can control is the way that I move through the world. And since I suspect that 2025 is going to be rife with challenges (including personal challenges), I wondered: how can I commit to staying centered and focused, while continuing to do what I can to make the world a bit better? I thought about my friend
, whose book The Circles Around Us reminds us that by caring about the intimate circles of community we each have, a ripple effect is possible. And I thought, as always, about light.
As many of you know, light has played a huge part in my work for the past couple of decades — from my beloved photography to the books I write — and I intend for it to continue to be a guiding aspect of my life. In fact, I’ve used various light-related words as lodestars during previous years. But this year, even though I could come up with concepts that I’d like to infuse into my life (radical belonging, kindness as a power move, etc. — I wrote about it a bit here), I was having a harder time coming up with a single word that covered it all. The only thing I’m certain of is that this year, I want to make like a porch light: I want my life and work to signal community, and safety, and welcome, like the quiet glow of the light on a porch of a house. This year, I’m not setting huge career goals, or creating mondo-beyondo dreams: I just want to create and create and create, and hope that the work I do finds its way to those who need it most. I want to make tons of art, but also be of service. And maybe, as Brad indicates, a ripple effect will result, one that makes a difference.
Anyway, my friends, those are the recent thoughts that have been running through my head. Also, it’s good to be back! My wish for all of us this week: that we consider how we want to move through the world this year* — determined to make a difference, yes, but also determined to ensure the safety of our spirits. (Remember, friends, it’s natural to ebb and flow, and rest, too, is our birthright.). Consider how we create longevity in our work toward kindness, justice, peace and equity. Because this year, I suspect that the world will need all of our undiminished, unexhausted light.
Happy New Year, lovelies. Here’s to ripples of light.
* For inspiration, consider the video at the top of this post!
** music: epidemic sound
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