As the calendar turns a page, many of us find ourselves pondering resolutions, yet for Faith Salie, it’s less about promises and more about presence.
Faith Salie has decided to forego explicit resolutions. Instead, she’s embraced the idea of vague hopes, perhaps finding time for meditation or rekindling her college-level French skills, but most deeply, it’s about nurturing familial bonds. Watching her children grow, Faith is starkly reminded of life’s swift passage—her son is nearing eye level with her, and her daughter can now walk in her shoes, both literally and metaphorically.
The fleeting nature of time becomes even more apparent as Salie reflects on her age, now matching that of her mother when she passed away. This realization fuels her desire for more time, a wish many can relate to.
In search of comfort, Salie delves into the origins of the word ‘resolution.’ She discovers its Latin root, ‘resolvere,’ which signifies ‘to loosen, undo, release.’ It’s a gentle reminder, urging her—and perhaps us—to adopt this mindset as the new year unfolds.
Perhaps this year could be approached as a loosening, Salie suggests, drawing inspiration from her late Aunt Judy, whose prayer card invokes the Blessed Virgin Mary as ‘Our Lady, Undoer of Knots.’ This sentiment speaks to the heart of Salie’s new year vision: to untangle life’s complexities and embrace the ever-unfurling ribbon of existence.
Her wish for the new year—and one she shares with her readers—is to undo knots: to soften entrenched positions, to view situations through a fresh lens, and in doing so, perhaps open ourselves to new perspectives. ‘To be so present now,’ Salie muses, ‘that we loosen our grip on the past and our anxious grasp on the future.’
This approach, she believes, might just slow down the relentless march of time, even if just a little, offering a fresh way to walk into the future.
Faith Salie’s reflections remind us that the true essence of resolutions lies not in rigid goals, but in nurturing an open-hearted presence, allowing life’s knots to gently unfurl.
Source: Yahoo
