Let This Be The Year!

Let this be the year.
Yes, the year
The one that has us relaxing into ourselves
And soaring past ourselves
Comfortable with all that lies within
And beyond.

Let this be it.
Let us wake up at the dawn of a new era
Whether it’s an era of the individual mind
Or all of everything
Because, in the end, it’s all the same.
If my mind sees a new era
And so does your mind
And so, even, does that tall, chuckling man who always seems mean and arrogant
Well… we have a new era
No ifs, ands, or arguments to the contrary.

In other words
We could create the new era
If we all agreed it was here.
The mind is an ever-growing artist that paints upon the world
Creating it, tweaking it, expanding it, pruning it.
With all those minds together
Agreeing upon the new era
Well… just think about it.
And then look
And listen
And it will be here.
Our minds working together
Would burst into a symphony so rich and resonant
They would weave a new era
The one we all await.

No, I haven’t lost it
Whatever “it” might imply.
I’m just thinking:
Hey, it’s a new year.
Let’s not throw it away.
For once, and from now on
Let’s give our brand new year the glory it deserves
Even when it’s no longer brand new.
Let’s turn all present and future new years and not-so-new years
Into a new era.
Let’s transcend ourselves
While also holding tight to all we love
And all we still desire when we throw off the masks and the cages.

What kind of new era are we discussing?
See, that’s where it gets tricky.
I have my ideas and you have yours, I’m sure.
And, much as I might think you’d all love my ideas
I’ve been around a little too widely to believe that.
I mean, yikes, some people don’t want an immortal soul.
Some think working for pay and not passion is beautiful
And just the thing that keeps a person in line.
Some enjoy cleaning the kitchen
Because scrubbing the sink makes them feel
As if they’re leaving their imprint on the world.

So let’s agree
By agreeing to disagree.
I’ll have my era and you’ll have yours
And we’ll even let the mean, chuckling guy have his
Because we’re taking the high ground here.
It’s a new era: let’s live up to it
And into it
And even beyond it
Because any truly good era
Can be surpassed into something even more glorious.

But let it be glorious enough for now.
Let it be rich and real and true
Unlike our previous years.
Because, let’s face it
Our previous years were not of this new era.
They might have hinted at it
Or caused us to long for it
And that alone makes them worthy.
But we were small-minded in those past eras
Stuck within limitations that we could move past
Just by believing, really believing
That we can.

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And we can enjoy our new eras together
Creating bridges between them.
One universe-wide mega-era
Will encompass us all
And we’ll each
Have our independent, unique eras too
Because, honestly, if even one of you doesn’t want to be immortal
Doesn’t want your unique train of thought and perception
To shoot straight into infinity
I can’t share my own special era with you.
I still love you, though
As long as you aren’t mean.

Happy New Year!
Happy New Era!
Let’s promise to make it happen.
And if we fail, should this promise be null and void?
Should we absolve ourselves from punishment
Even if it comes from our own minds
Seething with disappointment in ourselves?
Yes, but.
But. A huge, inescapable “but.”
The “but” is this, very simple, yet as powerful as a billion new eras:
We have to try.
I mean really, really try.

Trying can be subtle:
A moment of seeing past time when you squint at an ultra-bright flashlight
Or of sensing that your mind creates your own universe
Perhaps with the help of some larger force that intuits you
The real you that you alone cannot grasp
At least not yet.
Or it can be outward — large and bold and visible to many:
Speaking, writing, shouting, even dancing in a crowd.
Either way, just do it.
Do it.
Embrace that new era
And first, create it.
Small steps leading to big steps leading to marathons.

This world is dense and ridden with obstacles.
We all feel them; we all chafe against them
In our heads and maybe with our actions.
But we can slough them off
Me in my way and you in yours.
Believe. Do. And it will be so.
How am I so sure?
Hey, I’m never sure of anything except this:
The mind carries wonders beyond anything we in this era can see.

 

Image Credit: Dianne Lacourciere, “Celebrating,” November 3, 2016, on flickr.com