White snow is a new blank page outside my window!

Perhaps it is the soft white silence of the snow falling outside my window

like a blank white page crying out for new words.

Or maybe it is the vivid dreams that I had last night
All I know is that I woke up in the dark, about 5:30 in the morning
feeling inspired to
make this New Year NEW.

An hour or so later,
going downstairs to meditate
I knew that I had to
find another spot in the house
in which to meditate.

This may not sound like a particularly wild and crazy thing to do.
But you have to understand, I have been meditating
in the same spot beside the huge living room fireplace
for years and years and years. Too many to count.

Long ago, the spot took on a life of its own.

When we had our dog, Bear, and he was really ill,
he would go to the meditation table and just curl up there.
Whenever my daughter's dog Milo

comes to pay a visit,
and I am making my coffee in the kitchen,
that smart little dog heads into the living room and sits on the sofa behind my meditation table.
He goes for the meditation table
before I do!!

Anyway, this morning I said,
ENOUGH.
I have to find another spot in the house that faces East
(which is the direction you want to face when meditating.)
You need to set your candle there,
And see how it feels.

And so I did, I sat down in the dining room, and placed my candle on the window sill,
like this.

The flame of the candle was reflected three times, through the glass windows.
And outside the window
the snow mounded higher and higher
and when I finished meditating I said
to myself,

This really is a NEW YEAR.

Here's to health and peace and happiness in 2014!!