blip : Beyond Lost Intellectual Ponderings :

Ask me not where I live
or what I like to eat….
Ask me what I am living for
and what do I think is keeping me
from living fully for that
—Thomas Merton

I came across that quote toward the beginning of last year and I think I may make it a tradition to reflect upon it at the beginning of the new year. Reflecting upon the “big picture” of who I am becoming over the course of months and years is not my strong suit. I am much more apt at focusing on the current day and hour. So, if the new year provides a reminder to me to stop and reflect upon the big picture of both my past and future, all the better.

What do I hope to live for this next year? What kind of person am I hoping to become? Here is one new mantra: “failure is an option!” My fear of failure has kept me awake too many nights worrying about some project or another. Fear of failure makes me less apt to take chances, take a risk, try something new. Heck, it took me six months of worrying just to decide if I wanted to try out a move to a new city.

Another hope is that I’ll become a more compassionate person this year. That’s a virtue I didn’t hear much about growing up, but it jumped out all over the place when I was reading Luke’s gospel (“You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” [Luke 6:36], Jesus felt compassion for the widow of Nain [Luke 7:13], etc.).  Of course compassion seems like such a nebulous idea.  I plan to read Nowen’s book, Compassion, but if others have recommendations I’d like to hear them.

I’m sure I’ll live for other things as well this next year, but if make some progress in the two things above 2007 will be a  good year.