I am excited that Christmas and the start of Channukah coincided this year. Someone told me that only occurs every 18 years. That means this is only the second time it has happened since the WCY was built. That's a long time!
This time of year (I am writing on Boxing Day, the second day of Channukah) feels vibrant. I think the fact that the days are finally lengthening rather than shortening has something to do with it. Or it could be the blue sky today. (Or, it may be all of the forward looking articles I'd seen about the New Year and how to approach it with zest.). Either way, I feel as sense of renewal happening.
As I mentioned to the WCY staff, it feels like we are finally starting to rejuvenate. 2024 felt like a new beginning to me. Though our membership numbers have not yet reached the highs of 2020, the energy in the building, the cars in the parking lot, and the success of our programs keep growing. And we are carrying that into 2025.
This month, the Board approved our 2025 budget, which includes significant investments in our facility to improve what we offer and operate more efficiently so that we can serve more people effectively and affordably. We will replace all our cardio equipment. We will add heat pumps for our childcare and multi-purpose rooms. We will start a program to encourage regular engagement with health. And since the building is approaching 25 years old, we will work on planning for the next 25 years, including how we might use our spaces to serve our community better.
It feels a little like planning New Year's Resolutions... We are thinking about where we want to be and what we need to get there.
One of the things most of the articles about New Year's Resolutions tell me is that changes take time. Small steps over time make big differences. That can be hard for me, as I gravitate toward the dramatic... that's my acting background! I try to remember what one of my acting teachers drilled into me: "Don't stop five minutes before the miracle." What she meant was that we don't know when the big change happens. Often, we only know it in retrospect. Keep pushing, keep making the small efforts... and they will pay off.
One of our instructors told me that her efforts to lose weight started with walking around the track a few times. She was afraid to go into a class for fear that she wouldn't be able to do it. Over time, she gained confidence and finally accepted the invitation of our fitness staff. She joined the classes and kept walking. Two years later, she had lost over 100 pounds. Now, she teaches the classes she was afraid to join!
My partner tells me that, in Yoga, there is a difference between Preya and Shreya. Preya has to do with decisions with short term outcomes... like how good a chocolate bar or french fries taste. They feel good for a moment. Shreya has to do with decisions that feel good for a lot longer. A former colleague talked about "type one and type two fun"... the difference between sitting on the couch watching a good show on Netflix and hiking to a lookout to see the sunset. (There are a number of sites that delve more deeply into the meaning of these words. This one seems good: https://yogachicago.com/2018/08/beyond-the-mat-help-with-decision-making-shreya-and-preya/)
I feel as if we are starting to think about the long term good feelings for our Y and for our community. I hope so.
So, as we start 2025, I hope you will join me in focusing on the long term good, even if we don't see the miracle immediately.
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One last thing I want to share is a poem I like to read at this time of year. It grounds me and helps me prepare for a new year. I have shared it before and expect to share it again. I hope it strikes chord with you, too.
The Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly; and listen to others, even to the dull and the ignorant; they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons; they are vexatious to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain or bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans. Keep interested in your own career, however humble; it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is; many persons strive for high ideals, and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection. Neither be cynical about love; for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment, it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune. But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings. Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars; you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore be at peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. And whatever your labors and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace in your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful. Strive to be happy.
Max Ehrmann ©1927
Good luck in your efforts for 2025. Let us know how we can help you. Thank you for being a part of the WCY!
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