YOU ARE HERE
Tuesday, January 3, 2023
Have you been to a park or biking along a trail where you come upon a directional map?
One that shows you all the ways you can go, shows reference points, directions and details – but it’s all meaningless to us until we find that spot, usually marked with a STAR or a red dot – accompanied by the words, YOU ARE HERE. Then we can figure out where we are going and how we are going to get there.
Starting a new year, a new job, or living in a new place – are similar constructs. We want to know what to do next and find ourselves outside our comfort zone; we get confused by too many options and too much self-imposed pressure to perform well, be error-free, and be calm/relaxed while we do it …
Take a deep breath …
Start with the beginning, start with the basics, and start now.
Back to basics seems too simplistic, but there is magic in those words. When we have trouble re-starting ourselves or our practices, I’ve found that a ‘back to basics’ philosophy is magical for its simplicity.
I expect we are all similar in respect to ‘falling off track’ in what we do, from exercise, eating, and sleeping habits to work habits, routines and processes that work for us. It might be too simplistic for some people, but starting with the first thing on the list every morning, then doing the second …
Things we’ve known are essential – not as add-ons to our day, but as fundamental and foundational to everything that is good. Start. Start at the beginning. Begin with the basics. Abc, 123, ….
This is another year – one in whatever comes and goes, whatever is lost or won in the world or on our street, it will be the product of how we all do our basics, how we stick to remembering what we do well, how we do it, and starting from that tested foundational practice.
We are hopeful our country won’t have strife as we see on TV, and we hope our economy won’t have a bad year, or at least not as bad as for other people in other places (and they’ll need to keep their chins up).
You are here.
Start.
Now.