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FOR THE JOURNEY
Many years ago, my spiritual director was a no-nonsense nun. When I arrived for my companioning session with her, I would notice the little sign on her desk, “Just Do It.”
That phrase is, of course, a trademark of the shoe company Nike. But on her desk, it spoke, not to Sister Loretta’s desire to excel at the high jump, but to her basic mindset, which resisted dithering. Decisions should be prayed about, discerned and, without handwringing, made.
She was good for me because I’m a lousy decision-maker, my lists of pros and cons endless, my “yes, buts” delaying any conclusion.
Although Sister Loretta has since gone to her eternal reward, her dictate lives on with me. Keep it simple. Just do it.
With January comes our cultural obsession with resolutions. For the most part, I resist this practice. Things I’ll do, pounds I’ll lose, habits I’ll develop. I see all around me, and in my own life, that New Year’s promises that rely solely on our own willpower are seldom kept.
However, Jan.1, and every day, is a good time to notice God acting in our lives. The Benedictines have a phrase: “Always we begin again.” I find that simple dictum enormously consoling. It reminds me that God is the God of second chances, all the time. Whether it’s some old regret nagging at me, or a cookie splurge today, God is inviting me to start over, right now.
And so that little phrase, “Always we begin again” becomes something of a mantra for me in times when I need God to help me keep going.
I see a pattern here. I write down phrases that inspire me. That’s a common practice of writers. But it’s a good way for all of us to reflect on simple wisdom.
Rummaging around in a kitchen drawer, I find my favorite towel, a gift from a daughter. I hang it up to remind me of its simple wisdom: “Be grateful. Eat more vegetables. Love more.”
Sounds simplistic, but actually it’s the recipe for a better life, mentally, spiritually and physically. Studies show that gratitude, and the recitation of the things for which we are grateful, is a huge boon to our moods, our attitude, even our sleep.
More vegetables? Nutrients, longevity, weight loss. Need I say more?
And the reminder to love? Profound, and basic to everything.
I’m not suggesting today’s great insight will be offered by your fortune cookie or your teabag’s tag, but hey, pay attention. You never know.
Actually, “pay attention” is my favorite line from “Praying,” a favorite Mary Oliver poem.
Oliver says praying means to “pay attention. / … this isn’t a contest, but the doorway into thanks, / and a silence in which another voice may speak.”
Praying is simply paying attention and then listening contemplatively. Angels can appear in ordinary forms, and wisdom drops by unannounced, sometimes in mundane ways.
But often wisdom comes from Scripture. When I was a young Jesuit volunteer, a Jesuit guiding my retreat told me his favorite passage was from Micah 6. It’s been one of my favorites ever since: Here’s what the Lord requires of you, only this: “To do justice and to love goodness and to walk humbly with your God.”
A perfect, simple recipe for living life well.
Sometimes we make everything, including decisions and resolutions, too complicated. Keep it simple. January doesn’t have to be a promise broken. Just pay attention, and remember that in every moment God is not judging you a failure, but offering you the chance to begin again.
