Fresh Tracks, Fresh Start
Laying down the first tracks in the falling snow in our neighborhood, my son and I savored the moment. No wind. Temperatures relatively mild, hovering right around freezing. The evening was lit up with the blanket of snow reflecting all light.
Pleasant. Peaceful. Pristine.
As we walked and talked, it occurred to me that fresh tracks in the snow were like a metaphor for a fresh start in a new year. Two sets of footprints. The only ones so far. Along the sidewalk and down to the greenbelt, around the lake and back home by a different street…ours were the only ones.
Until we neared our house. Another set of tracks. By noon the next day, there would be many tracks and snowmen and signs of snowball fights and sledding, as it should be.
As you ease into the new year, the course you charted for your goals may become less clear. Chaos may ensue, and perfection will be broken. It always is.
So, enjoy these early steps into 2019 and don’t expect perfection. But, do expect excellence. Sometimes excellence looks like 90%, and on other days it looks like 110%. And some days, you take a break. Then, you get up and go again. It’s messy. So, just keep going every day and roll with the changes as best you can.
Within 24 hours, most signs of snow will be gone altogether. Still, we will be glad that we layed down those first tracks in the snow.
Worth Repeating
Be willing to be a beginner every single morning.
-Meister Eckhart
