It’s officially on! The new promise has begun. As I said yesterday it’s time for a new promise because so much has changed. So tonight, I’m going to tell you more about this new promise:
The Year of Connecting.
The pandemic has shaped our life and our world for almost two years now. It’s difficult to remember what this planet was like before COVID-19 cruised into our atmosphere.
Was there really a time when I didn’t check each shop window before entering to see if a mask is required? Or can I remember a time when I wasn’t being hyper-vigilant about washing and sanitizing my hands (or arms, face, feet, groceries, door knobs, or anything exposed to the elements for that matter)? I’m not sure. It feels like the distant past.
So does the thought of gathering mindlessly in person with thousands of people.
Here we are (a few weeks ago) at the first in-person concert we have attended since the lockdown. It was a mask-on event and we snapped this quick photo before it began. I must admit it was a strange experience for me. I had a slight panic attack. Not because we wore masks, I am completely used to those now. It was because I haven’t been in a building without windows, with a crowd of people, in the dark, with loud music playing for so long. My heart raced and my eyes darted around the room to map out the nearest exit as my brow began to sweat.
It may also have been the first time I realized that not just the world has changed around me, but I have changed too. Even if in the slightest ways.
In many ways I feel so connected to technology (especially after a year of nonstop ZOOM interactions) and that has made me (and maybe you) in so many other ways feel disconnected from people.
So for this year, it is the mindfulness that I am after.
And it is the CONNECTIONS too.
The MINDFUL CONNECTIONS.
Each day I will make a connection with a human being. Maybe it will be a long lost friend. Maybe it will be the clerk at the grocery store. Maybe it will be a smile or a nod. Maybe it will be an hours long, in-depth conversation debating the problems and solutions of our time. Maybe it will be a simple question. Maybe I will challenge you to connect with someone else too. I’m not sure yet.
I do know this – each of these promises create something bigger than I can imagine. Sometimes it is a lesson. Sometimes it is a massive aha moment. This year it will be about connections and wherever that takes me is yet to be seen.
Tomorrow I will share my first connection of the year.
I’m glad you are here and along for the ride. Maybe you will be one of these connections too! I can’t wait to find out.
Lovemore,
Jamie
The Promise 365 
Your turn! Share your thoughts, fears, loves, ideas...