What's Tony Thinking

A Blessing for the New Year

The New Year’s blessing below is from Nadia Bolz-Weber, at her website Corners. I liked it. Maybe you will too. The theme is helpfully, un-Pelagian, or keep your expectations low. Reminds me of the non-biblical beatitude, “Blessed are those who expect nothing; for they shall be satisfied.” I’m not sure if that’s always a good idea, but I take her point . . . and the grace tucked within it.

Before that, a recent painting of mine. This is of Joseph Mountain, one of the peaks in the Wallowa Mountains. I was intrigued by the patterns of dark and light both horizontally, in the Mountain itself, and the patterns of dark/ light vertically, in the whole scene. The painting is wide. I couldn’t quite fit it all in.

And  now the blessing . . .

As you enter this new year, as you pack away the Christmas decorations and get out your stretchy pants

as you face the onslaught of false promises offered you through new disciplines and elimination diets

as you grasp for control of yourself and your life and this chaotic world

May you remember that there is no resolution that, if kept, will make you more worthy of love.

There is no resolution that, if kept, will make life less uncertain and allow you to control a pandemic and your children and the way other people act.

So this year,

May you just skip the part where you resolve to be better do better and look better this time.

May you give yourself the gift of really, really low expectations.

May you expect so little of yourself that you can be super proud of the smallest of accomplishments.

May you expect so little of the people in your life that you actually notice and cherish every small lovely thing about them.

May you expect so little of the supply chain and the service industry that you notice more of what you do get and less of what you don’t and then just tip really well anyhow.

May you expect to get so little out of 2022 that you can celebrate every single thing it offers you, however small.

Because you deserve joy and not disappointment

So, I wish you a Happy as possible New Year.