The Generosity of January

Today is January 27 already. The month seems to have flown by, like so many do. It has been a month loaded with a variety of experiences, scares, reminders, practices, snow, birthdays. It hasn’t been a typical month for me in several ways.

Generosity is my word for the year. I have kept it close in mind and heart on many days and it has brought a more keen awareness. Paying attention to life, the sought and the unsought, is where I find meaning and inspiration and energy to proceed.

Early in the month I was sick with COVID for the first time, three years since the start of the pandemic. Three years ago, a vast majority of us were barely giving any thought to COVID-19. Think about that.

January is a month with several family birthdays. Some of the ages reached this year include 21, 26, 28, 41, 64, and 79. Each birthday is a gift. Each day is a gift. There are people I know who had their last day, their last breath this month.

Early last Thursday morning, our dog Oliver gave us a scare with a seizure episode. This morning, he is sound asleep next to the chair I am sitting in. I am comforted by the rise and fall of his body as he breathes. I am also more prepared for the reality that our nearly 15-year-old dog is winding down.

I am 27 days into a 31-day meditation challenge on Insight Timer, providing participants with a variety of techniques and methods to try in the hopes that we will add some to our regular practice. It took me years to get to consistency, but I can now say that meditation is part of my daily practice and it makes a significant difference in my overall well-being.

Generosity shows itself in the recovery work I do, and the others I am connected with on this daily journey out of alcoholism and addiction. I have amazing teachers and friends and lessons. It is a belonging that fills a big part of the longing that I have often felt.

January has been a generous month for me, in ways sought and unsought. How about you?