JOYFUL New Year! Align(coherence) Give(contribution) Stay open(connectedness) Coherence — Live truthfully enough that your heart, body, and actions agree. Contribution — Leave every space a little more cared-for than you found it. Connectedness — Stay in relationship, even when it would be easier to turn away. Align. Give. Stay open. Do these slowly, imperfectly, repeatedly —I think it’s Yoga! But whatever it is—it will grow your capacity for carrying JOY.

I saw Zach had recommended a book in the classroom training but can’t remember the author or title. Any recs?

Sometimes I feel like my life is a paradox... One moment I am wearing my Air Max shoes, the next, I'm bare footed sitting with my shirt off and my back against a tree trunk. I wear my cowboy boots with my linen clothes. Long unkept hair and a neatly trimmed beard. One moment I'm sitting in silence staring into the sun, then I'm in my truck with my Costa shades on. Sometimes I'm studying law or the stock market, other times I'm looking at my yard thinking I need a goat instead of a lawn mower. I look at my garden and think 'it's too much work', then I go to the grocery store and think 'the only way to get actual food is by buying seeds'. I guess this is me growing out of the programming slowly; Figuring out what each next step is, as they become necessary. I'm not quite sure why I shared all this... Possibly just so if anyone else feels unsure, now you know you're not alone!

My neighbors aside, I wonder how immediate family and relatives who despise each other treat the holidays. I want to emphasize I'm not sending any negativity towards any angry families, I just wanted to voice this observation of many years.

From 'Auguries of Innocence' by William Blake (1757-1827) To see the world in a grain of sand and a heaven in a wildflower hold infinity in the palm of your hand and eternity in an hour... I love the elegant simplicity here. The following is just my interpretation: Line 1: The world can be seen for the individual grains, or the grain can be admired for its role in the structure of the reality we see. Line 2: Recognition and gratitude for the uncomplicated beauty, in its abundance, around us. Line 3: Mastering the use of our energy Line 4: Being and thriving outside the construct of time I would really enjoy hearing other peoples' interpretations. So, don't be shy, let me know if this verse speaks to you and what it has to say!