Early on in the new year, I had breakfast at the home of some friends. We were catching up about the holidays and sharing some thoughts about 2024.

As I was leaving, my friend said her car needed to go in for repair, and I offered to give her a jump. After some unsuccessful efforts she joked that possibly this year she was learning patience and resilience.

Later that day, when she texted an update, I found myself replying, “Maybe 2024 has already decided our lessons.” I wrote it before I even knew what I was saying, but it stuck with me. That idea has lingered, popping into my mind regularly.

What if each new year already shows up with innate wisdom for what we need to learn, how we need to grow, and what we need to change? 

I think I was already getting some hints about this on January 1. Some old patterns were showing up, and I had an insight that I thought was important enough to write down to remind myself: ”The only way this year is different is if I show up differently.”

Many of us spend so much time figuring out how to fix ourselves, pondering what we need to work on and how we want to do life in a new way, and there is value in that. But if we really think about it, our life is a full-blown diagnostic exam if we take the time to look at it. 

What lessons keep showing up over and over again?

What obstacles have we yet to surmount?

What are the same irritations that have vexed us for years without relenting?

Our life is showing us every day what we need to hold onto and what we need to relinquish. In fact, that same morning with friends, I said I needed to stop expecting my days ever to go as planned. All it does is cause frustration. Life is messy, and people are unpredictable. Why would I imagine that most days would unfold without a hiccup? All that does is set me up to be irritated and disappointed. Of course, this inquiry likely will send me down the rabbit hole of why I am holding on so tightly to order and productivity, but that’s best saved for a professional to unravel.

At the end of each day or even each week, once we shake off the fatigue and frustration of it, we can probably see where our weaknesses lie, where our unwillingness to change or our lack of knowledge gets in our way. This is empowering because it’s less about trying to get other people to move the way we’d prefer they move, which is a fruitless effort, and more about how to adjust and seek our own peace. 

Part of me would love to say I have a tidy little list of 10 goals that I am going to work on this year that will land me in this space of calm and ease, but I am little by slowly comprehending that will never be anyone’s life, not really. 

Instead, I think what I want for you and for me is the resiliency to get through the hard times that will undoubtedly come this year and the good sense to bask in the moments of joy when they dare make their arrival. May we aspire to rest and restore as much as we burn the midnight oil. Let us have the empathy to stand in the gap for our friends when they need it and the compassion to do the same for ourselves.

May we be able to see what our life is telling us and have the courage to heed the call.

Maybe the universe is full of wisdom, after all.