by
dominique DiPrima
Whether it’s the Winter Solstice signaling the return of the light, the beginning of a fresh 26,000 year cycle in the Mayan Calendar, Three Kings Day 2013 heralding the end of the holiday cycle and the start of a new year or simply another Monday morning, new beginnings bring new opportunities and new challenges. The Chinese Tai Chi masters say “transition is always difficult.” The fresh, clean calendar holds out hope that it will be filled with grand opportunities, good fortune, love & joy. And yet crossing the threshold from old to new can be treacherous as we struggle to leave the baggage of the old behind and move forward unencumbered. Only we hold the key to our own success.
This holiday season, after a long battle with cancer, my dear friend and mentor Jon Fromer made his transition. He is the person who gave me my first shot in television, who believed in me, and showed me the ropes. He taught me not only how to do TV, but how to blend popular culture and activism, how to commit to being a force for the positive, and most of all how to believe in my dreams and ideas. He is a reminder that there are indeed good people in the world – lots of them! Even in death he is an inspiration, as he chose to sing and speak out for justice, not giving in to the dis-ease until his final breath.
My family, like many families, had lots of challenges this holiday season – personal, financial, and more. My Mom was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, I could go on. But I say these things not by way of complaint. I say them because I feel like we have the choice in these moments. It is like we are standing at the crossroads. Which path will we choose? How will we respond to the challenges? What will we tell ourselves about what is going on?
I choose to believe that I am being asked by the universe to face the music in every area of my life. It is time to clean house/home; temple,/body, physically, financially, spiritually and emotionally. How can we move to a fresh and exciting new chapter if we don’t clear out old karma? It’s time to make room for our hard work and clear intentions to manifest! It’s time to “sweep around our own front door!” It’s time to slay the dragons that stand between us and our authentic selves, our next level, our true purpose.
Stevie Wonder wrote: “If you feel your life’s too hard…Just go have a talk with God…” I would add, if you feel like your back is to the wall, if it feels like trouble times, remember you are not alone. Tough times have hit many in the community. But we are strong, resilient, we have our true source, and we have each other. Remember as Coach E says “When it’s easy everyone can do it.” We can put our back into it and make it through, and renew. We can clear out the garbage & baggage and move forward with an unrelenting focus on where we are going.
Naturopathic partitioners like Dr. Nathan Rabb and Thabiti Umoja urge us to cleanse the body with the changing of the seasons. They have created various formulas of herbs, olive oil, or raw food diets to purge the toxins that can make us ill or stagnant. Why not apply the same idea to our mind, spirit and home? Meditation, house cleaning, prayer, fasting, cleansing the body, journal writing, crying, reorganizing our finance, resetting our relationships, all of these can be ways to cleanse.
As we embrace lucky 2013, let’s do so with gratitude for the chance to renew, refresh and begin a promising cycle of our own design. Let’s narrow our focus to what we want. Let’s tell a new story, let’s sing a new song.
January 7, 2013 at 1:01 pm
Dominique, your optimism and resilience is waaay beyond the ordinary. On top of that your ability to encourage and inspire others to stay focused on what we “want” will continue to resonate. Front Page Show, as well as your articles continuously helps us to identify priorities and encourages us to manage them. I’ll see you at the Health Forum later this month.
As you may recall from my call in, my mom made her transition in Sept. 2012 as well. I miss her but haven’t dropped into a depression. I know full well she in her right state was positive, happy and persistent and wants me to carry on. Pushing through lifes challenges while making the choice to “Be Happy” (per Joseph McClendon) is the only way to successfully navigate on through. You do that well and are usually the very first laugh of my day with your witty responses to some of the “family” and “visitors”. lol.
With you at the helm, Front Page is a Bright Light before the break of dawn. When I don’t call, I’m listening in and absorbing the energy.
This article is filled with golden nuggets. Thanks for sharing. This is a great time to be focused and united. God knows his business.
January 9, 2013 at 8:17 am
I love this article. It is very informative for me as a young woman. As we enter every new season we must take care of all aspects of our lives, health and well being. I’m now realizing the importance of this.all.