The Blank Slate

Toward the Mainland

Gillian Cornwall, c. September 2015

Imagine you have been writing for as long as you can remember and you sit down to write what is usually a well thought-out post and, not only have you not prepared anything during the previous week, you are simply drawing a blank. Your mind is a snow drift in January in Northern Ontario where not even a bird has set down his tender tootsie to leave his mark of passing - a glistening, empty snow canvas - cold, fresh, untouched. Yep. That's about where I am at as I sit down this morning. 

So... I think, well that's about right, isn't it? It's a new year. Is this not a time to open our minds and hearts to possibility, to that which we may never have considered as possible or desirous? Opportunity. Passion. Desire. Freedom. All of these stirred up with some good old fashioned common sense. What does the world hold for us today? What do we need? What do we have to give away and what do we have to sell? What do we want our lives to look like and how do we achieve our goals? 

I have decided upon these considerations for myself as I approach the new year. I hope they will be useful for you too:

1. Be gentle and kind with yourself and others. Remember we are all on different paths and judgement of another will only set you back on your own.

2. Be open and fluid. Let your energy, as love, continue to flow through you and out from you because when you hold too tightly, things break or slip away. When you maintain the flow, you will always be full, for love, as energy, is like a mountain spring and will rise in you again as you release it to the world.

3. Do not let fear rule your heart and head unless you are walking down a path in the woods and a cougar jumps out at you...

4. Engage with the new - new people, new activities, new places. Explore the world beyond your usual boundaries. We are all connected. It's okay. 

5. Enjoy your clean slate - your fresh, unsullied snow bank. Fall into it face first or stand and stare at the canvas until you are moved to action. This is your time and space to live well. 

I wish each of you every joy, passion and wonder for the new year. May your hardships be few and may you be well-supported through them. May your wonders be plentiful and may you allow space for them to refill and restore you. Thank you for your love and kindness and friendship. 

-Gillian Cornwall, c. January 3, 2016

Winter Wonderland, Victoria BC

Gillian Cornwall, c. 2011