Starting over
Thoughts as a new year begins
“Do not be afraid to start over.” Pam Muñoz
What does it mean to start over?
Starting over… does it mean that everything is erased from the past? So many years, we come to this evening ready to vow a new start. We hope to wake up tomorrow morning to a new year, to be a new person.
We can wake up to a new year and we can vow to make changes in our daily life. All of this is true, but we can not erase the past. We carry our experiences along life’s journey. These experiences inform us throughout time even when we believe we are rewinding to "begin again.”
As a hospital chaplain, I have met many people who experienced life-changing events. We met when they were recovering from accidents that may have required them to use a wheelchair for the rest of their life. We met when they were diagnosed with cancer (or another illness) that required strength and focus as they moved toward healing and wholeness.
I would listen while they talked about returning home to the way things were before we met. “I am getting well, and I know my life will return to how it used to be. I will be back to my old self,” they often said.
It was clear what they were trying to say. They were working hard to adapt and adjust to new ways of doing things while believing they would recover to be exactly as they were before their illness.
But I knew they would not return to how things used to be.
How could they?
These experiences had forever changed their lives. Each decision they made in the days, months, and years to come would be informed by the accident or illness that brought them to the hospital.
They recover with a new understanding of what it means to be a whole person—they realize what starting over really looks like.
This is true for all of us. We can begin again with a fresh look at our future. (I write this with much respect for the events people strive to recover from throughout their lives. It is hard work, and starting again may have to be done almost every day. This is never to be taken for granted.)
In less than 15 minutes, we will welcome a new year. 2025 will bring opportunities to start again. Be compassionate with yourself as you step over this threshold. Start again with your whole self grateful for WHO you are. That may be all you need.
Happy New Year 🎆