Wishing You a Perfectly Imperfect 2023

Happy New Year! I hope this year brings you at least one difficulty. I know that might seem odd or even mean but I believe it’s because of adversity, not the absence of it, that we come to find our greatest sense of joy, contentment and personal growth.

If every hour of every day was filled with peace and perfection I fear we would all become a host of dreadfuls. As the Dalai Lama once stated, “. . . if there are not difficulties you complain more.” What profound truth! When life is too easy-peasy some of us become bored. Some, critical and fussy. Others, selfish. In a word—childish. It’s as if we come to expect life to provide us an endless bowl of Cheerios!

This is why I believe a little trouble, every now and then, is actually good for us. As light shines brightest in the dark, so do challenges increase our gratitude for the positive things in our lives, thus increasing our joy and our contentment with what we have.

I have no doubt that sometime within the next 365 days an unforeseen difficulty will arrive, making an unwelcomed entry into every soul reading this blog post. But something amazing will hide in its shadow: joy, gratitude and hope. We just have to look for it. For what we look for is often what we find.

And thus, I wish you a perfectly imperfect, JOY-filled 2023!

Ellen