I have only one New Year's Resolution for 2024: To be as I was when I was a child.
What I mean by that is, to be filled with wonder, to be content with little, to see the world and everyone in it with new eyes, to be curious and nonjudgmental, to be fully present in the moment, to be kind, to be honest, to not worry about the future, to not concern myself with the past.
Yogi master Dharma Mittra said, "If you open your heart and become like a child, you will always be blissful, always content." In the Book of Matthew, Jesus says, “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.”
Here's a picture of me outside in our front "yard" in Bosque, New Mexico, when I was two years old. Believe it or not, I have vivid memories of that time, of that yard. Just me, the dirt that went on forever, the sun, whatever little bugs I could find, our dog, our cats. I was never bored. Everything was paradise.
Our nearest neighbor was a quarter mile away, and I'd walk there to visit with him. He was ancient, and blind, and spoke no English. He'd play the accordion for me, as I warmed up by the wood stove in his tiny one-room house. It was bliss! There is no smartphone, no TikTok dance, no amount of social media "likes," not even a number of book sales that will ever come close to the pureness of those slow, genuine, real-world interactions.
I hope 2024 brings you many moments of wonder and peace.
Author Alisa Lynn Valdes (Rodriguez)