Spring Resolve

Did you make any New Year's Resolutions at the start of 2011? Are you still following them? If not don't feel bad, most other people aren't either. Do a quick poll of the people around you. See?

Why do we do this to ourselves year after year? Peer pressure is my best guess. In truth, starting some new project in the depths of winter is not really a good idea. If you're a student of TCM you'll know what I'm talking about. If you're not familiar, here is an excerpt from a blog I wrote at the end of 2009:

"Let us observe together what happens in the season of winter. It is cold so we want to stay inside. The sun rises late and sets early. It is really dark at night, so our bodies want to sleep more. Many of nature's creatures are now hibernating. If not full-time hibernation, at least their activity is much reduced and they spend more time sleeping and resting. More time being quiet, more time getting ready for the Spring. Nature's animals are not going to leave the warmth of their winter den to go out and start a new exercise program on January 1st. Nature's plants are not going to start to bloom on the first of the year just so they can be in better shape or more beautiful for the summer season. Nature gets it. Nature's animals and plants understand winter is a time for rest, hibernation, reflection, stillness, patience and for simply not yet knowing what the Spring will bring."

So there. Feel better now? Excellent, now let's get to it! Contrary to what the calendar says, Spring is beginning. The groundhog says so and if you're in tune with nature, you've noticed the sunlight looks a bit different, brighter if you will. Now is the time to plan your new projects and your New Spring Resolutions for 2011. Today is February 10 and we have 18 days until the 1st of March.

I will devote the rest of the month's blog posts to helping you plan your New Spring Resolutions. Our goal is to help you create a plan which you will start on March 1, 2011.  Your first assignment is to sleep. For the next four days, I want you to get more sleep. Enjoy the last bits of hibernation, the darkness of the nights and the late sunrises. Go to bed early. Sleep in late. Ideally? Go to sleep with the sunset and get up with the sunrise (and I recognize that is near impossible for the vast majority of us, but you get the idea).

Check back tomorrow. You'll have a mini-assignment for the weekend as well.