And so it begins.

The first day of school. Depending on the school here in Australia, the new school year begins either later this week or next week. Families are busy shopping for school uniforms and supplies. Teachers are busy getting their classrooms ready. And many people are going back to work, after having enjoyed a summer break. Its like the world is beginning a new.

I remember what it was like each year when I began school again. I was filled with a mix of emotions. On the one hand, I liked school. I liked the routine. I always found the unstructured time of summer a bit unsettling. I liked meeting up with my friends. I wondered who my new teachers would be. But at the same time there was a bit of angst. Would I do well this year in school? Would my friends be in my same class? Would there be bullies in my class?

I think the same mixed feelings of excitement and angst have followed me throughout life. When I move to a new town, I am filled with mixed emotions. Starting at a new church I always look at the new possibilities but always wonder what challenges might lie ahead.

Beginning something new is never easy. We are bound to be filled with these mixed emotions. There are things to let go of and things to keep. There are new things we have to learn and try. But change is inevitable. It is going to happen. May we all rise to the challenge. Blessings.

Resolutions Schmesolutions

I recently overheard the conversation held by two people in their twenties.  One asked the other about a bad habit they had. The other person said that they would give up this bad habit when they reached 30.

I smiled as I heard this. Would the person wait until they reached 30 to give up their habit? Might they do it before? Or would they keep doing their bad habit for many more years after they turned 30? One only knows.

Change is hard. It takes determination. It takes commitment. It takes sacrifice. Change means giving up the old and the familiar, and venturing out into new and untried paths.

Diet companies and gyms tell us that the New Year is a perfect time to make changes to our lives. They tell us that it is a New Year so why not make way for a new you. It sounds simple enough. Why not use the New Year to change yourself. But if you are not ready on that date, such resolutions are doomed to fail. If the drinker is not ready to give up booze on January 1st, then they won't change no matter what the calendar says. Resolutions fail if people aren't ready to live them out.

But change is possible. If I am willing to break a bad habit I need to be willing to endure the pain, the angst, the cravings, the sacrifice. Only then will I be able to change. Change can happen on New Years or on our birthdays, or on any day of the year as long as we are committed to that change.  However if we rely on the calendar to give us that impetus to change, I think we are more doomed to failure. I will change next year is code for I am not ready for change yet.