Reflections often tend to arrive at the quietest moments, acting like a little nudge to look inward. Whether I’m working or volunteering, I am always writing, always reflecting, always inspired.
I began my previous New Year’s post with a reflection that unfolded from a famous quote. For whatever reason, for me, it was as though I heard it for the first time. I not only loved the quote, but it summed up my own thoughts beautifully, becoming the seed of my reflections over the past few weeks. What does all this have to do with a New Year? Keep reading. Explore deeper with me.
“When you examine the lives of the most influential people who have ever walked among us, you discover one thread that winds through them all. They have been aligned first with their spiritual nature and only then with their physical selves.”
– Albert Einstein

I read this quote as an intro to an online course by Rob Cook called Alignment. I enjoyed Rob’s course (and I enjoyed the replay, even more than the live session!) Why the replay, you might ask? This was a question we discussed in a one-on-one conversation. What was revealed to me was that the replay allowed me to be present without the noise of thinking or overthinking that occurred during the live interactions – a curious phenomenon I had never considered before when I judged myself as being shy or introverted.
Rob spoke about healing. And from what I understood, it seems that healing doesn’t mean something is wrong or broken. It’s not about curing illness or fixing something visibly damaged. Sometimes, we carry deep pains that are so ingrained in us that they become our “normal.” This fascinated me. Of course, these ruminations are not medical advice – they are just my own reflections. I love the subject of healing; it somehow feels connected to new beginnings. Let me explain further…
My intrigue probably began a very long time ago. As an astute observer, I reflected a lot about the world around me, always connecting art and science, the physical and the spiritual. Over the years, my writing journey has allowed me to listen to many stories of healing and new beginnings. So, it was natural for me to think of this subject during the month of January with all the talk about celebrating a New Year and New Beginnings!
As the editor of Pink in the City magazine, I have had the privilege of hearing countless stories of survival, strength, and healing. The premise of these stories is not just about surviving cancer (which is the subject of the magazine) —it’s about thriving and finding a way to heal, even when things feel hard. These stories are a lot like New Year’s celebrations, each one representing a fresh start, new hope for the future.
Making such connections is priceless in my own journey as I look forward. Rob’s words, in a conversation I recently heard on the Dream It, Dare It, Do It. Live the Life You Want podcast made the connection clearer: “There’s no pain that comes from the invisible that doesn’t have permission to be there. Sometimes we need these obstacles to validate that feeling of thinking that we haven’t arrived yet.” Hmm, so what if, instead of seeing challenges as something to overcome, we saw them as opportunities for growth?