Inside each of us there is a flame. It burns more intense than any light we can imagine. It is the source of all that lives and all that exists. It is tenacious and able to persist despite the most inhospitable circumstances. Within each of us is there is a brilliance that speaks to our dreams and provides a fortress against our nightmares. It will waver at times, even approaching complete extinguishment. But if there is life, there is hope and surrounded by hope is the flame. Quiet. Small. Still. Waiting for another reason, any reason, to flourish again. And it does. Brighter than ever before. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, we call this Kidney Yang. It is the power of our will. It is our unbroken determination to not only endure but to thrive. With the New Year comes optimism. The possibility of a better year that propels us onward. It is fueled by our desire to improve. We see the light returning and the days getting incrementally longer. Winter’s descent upon our lives is balanced by the hopeful expectation that life will be renewed in spring.
But that is a long way away and the cold is yet to come. It is the cold that challenges us, that undermines our sense of internal warmth and security. It is the cold that drives everything inside and demands that we use our will to survive. It is the time of the year when all that lives stops and is silenced.
In the quiet of the winter months we can examine our resolutions. Designing the best course of action for the New Year is imperative. If we are to make the most of winter’s gifts and spring’s demand for new growth, we need a strategy. Spring requires action and our plans need to be in place. Until then, however, we must rely on our will. For it is our will, our determination to endure, that protects the flame inside and gives us hope to continue.
Here’s to the Health of your Life.