Well, here we are on the cusp of a new year. I know this whole calendar thing is quite arbitrary and not even shared by all cultures, but in our shared context the turning of the year still feels like we should do something to mark the moment.
Under the present circumstances, perhaps one of the things it suggests is that we pause for a “well, we made it this far” moment. The pandemic has been hard on everyone, and as is often the case with hardships, more difficult for some than others.
As a community, we have a lot to be thankful for. Our relatively uncomplicated way of operating has made pivoting to “virtual” more obvious and simpler than it might otherwise have been. Our musicians have all risen to the occasion of making their contributions from their own homes. Our Leadership Team has been united in its commitment to working within the public health guidelines, for which I am personally very grateful. Financially and operationally, we continue to creatively sustain ways of connecting and (when allowed) gathering in person.
And speaking of pausing to take note – on the matter of finances, we now have enough money in the pie fund to make a thorough mess of not only my face, but those of all the members of the Leadership Team! However the individuals in question might feel about their pending “pie-ing”, this is something to celebrate! We’ve reached the goal Atticus so creatively outlined for us, and at some point in 2022 when we can do this in person we’ll turn the Littles loose on the whole Leadership Team, pies in hand. I love it! 🙂 A HUGE shout out to all those whose generosity made this, and of course our ongoing existence, possible. If you are still considering a year-end donation, you can find info about how to donate online here. Donations are tax receiptable. More info about that in the year ahead.
Another thing that often accompanies the beginning of a new year is making resolutions. I realize that practice has lost its shine for many of us, and perhaps for good reason. Deciding to suddenly “do better” on something when the clock strikes midnight on December 31st is often not only unsustainable, but not even good for our mental health. Setting long term goals without a plan or progress markers is demanding, and it frequently doesn’t work. It can create a sense of pressure to perform, to succeed, and then a cycle of defeat and shame when we don’t pull it off. We’re more likely to make meaningful changes in our lives when we mindfully build habits and routines, with plenty of time to rest and recover from new initiatives.
We’re also more likely to make progress when we know what values we are building on. When we know what matters most to us, we can begin to discern and enact choices that lead us toward those values being more and more present in our daily lives. This is one of the most significant motivators for exploring what we believe – it can help us gain clarity about what we truly value, and have those values increasingly underpin the choices we make.
In the Talky Bit this week we’ll be exploring one of the most basic (and also biggest) values questions we all have to answer in our daily lives – what role love will play in guiding our choices and actions. If that sounds vague, it might be because it’s so encompassing. It’s the kind of value that can embrace a great deal of complexity and nuance, and still keep calling us back to the center. I’ll do what I can to bring that into focus a bit more by Sunday. 🙂
Regarding our gatherings – at the moment, we can expect to be meeting online. As the current wave of Covid unfolds and the public health guidelines evolve, we’ll keep you posted about changes. I hope it mostly goes without saying that we’re all hoping for a return to in-person gatherings sooner rather than later. However, we’ve been here (or somewhere a lot like here) before, and it seems to me that experience should remind us to hope for the future, make plans for things to go well, and hold those plans with open hands knowing that there are variables we control and variables we don’t. When it comes to values, we want to continue to practice caring for one another as well as we can. I understand that sometimes the particulars of that vary from person to person, so even once we are able to gather in shared spaces again we’ll continue to livestream, providing an option for those whose circumstances or preferences steer them away from in-person gatherings.
We’ll meet online here at 10:45 a.m. on Sunday for some music and Community Time, followed by the Talky Bit. “And Lunch After” will be back at 12:30 (URL below), but the Wednesday Evening Zoom Hangout will still be on hiatus.
O.k. – that’s a long-ish blurb so I’ll wrap it up. I’m looking forward to seeing you on Sunday!
