In a recent interview, the actress Susan Sarandon talked rather in-depth about where she's been in her life, where she is now, as well as where she feels herself headed in the future. During the interview she brought up a tattoo she's recently gotten to remind her to be focused on today, as well as to keep looking forward. The letters "ANDAND" are tattooed around one of her wrists. They stand for, "A New Dawn, A New Day."
The power of this message really struck me, so much so that after reading Ms. Sarandon's interview, I walked into our office conference room and in the upper-right corner of our white board I wrote, A.N.D.A.N.D. It is there to serve as a reminder to me and those with whom I work that the opportunities and the challenges are always new. Yesterday was important, but this new day is what matters most.
This specific new day, July 1, is very important to me. It holds special significance for me personally, as well as for the team of which I am a part at Second Life of Chattanooga. On the personal side, I love the month of July and all that it represents (more on that in tomorrow's post). On the Second Life side, today we begin a new chapter in our organizational evolution, one that initially seems far more full of challenges than it does opportunities.
But, the opportunities are there, some clearly seen, some more hidden. If we're both honest and hopeful, the opportunities are probably more numerous than the challenges. Being willing to welcome and step boldly into each new dawn, each new day is probably one way we are able to see the opportunities more clearly. Hopefully, the clearer the opportunities, the less daunting the challenges.
My motivation in writing this is not about giving you some toothless, "you can do it," "your best life now," rah-rah speech. Life is hard. Sometimes it's impossibly hard. Those who deny life's challenges and pain live in dangerous self-delusion, of no use to themselves or others. But life can also be beautiful, thrilling, sacred. And whatever the challenges of each new dawn, I believe beauty, thrill and sacredness are also available each time the sun breaks over the horizon.
As if on cue, while I am writing this, "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" by the late, great Eva Cassidy is playing on my iTunes station (if you haven't heard her version of it, do yourself a favor and listen to it...now). I'll have to admit, given the number of times and ways that song has been covered, it can often come off cheesy and cliche. But, I've always loved Eva's interpretation of it. And, since I'm writing this post as a new dawn and day is literally breaking, maybe the song is a gift, sent to me (and you) as a reminder that often times the new dawn and day is in itself the rainbow, another sign post that although the night can be full of weeping, joy arrives with the morning.
Challenges, fears, crises, deep disappointments...opportunities, hopes, dreams, life-changing successes. They arrive side-by-side with each new dawn. In the middle of both the challenges and opportunities is our freedom to choose. To choose to step into the opportunities is not a denial of the challenges, but instead a declaration. In doing so I declare that the opportunity of the new dawn and day is to live fully alive, fully myself, fully hopeful. That's a tall order, but a worthy one.
And it's certainly worth waking up for.
