It’s January! – that sometimes frosty, sort of quiet, mostly post-holiday time when the promise of new achievements in a new year (and perhaps some festive indigestion and the awkward embrace of too-snug clothing) inspires many of us to make resolutions for self-improvement.
The word January comes to us by way of ancient Rome and is named after Janus, the mythological god of beginnings and endings, often portrayed as a figure with two faces pointed in different directions. These ancient roots for what we call the first month of our year holds a special invitation for us today.
Janus teaches us to look back as much as we look forward – or better yet, to be circumspect, which literally means to look around. But look out! – looking around is hard to do when moving at full speed, so it’s also an invitation to slow down, to stop, or even to rest, “perchance to dream”.
Such an invitation is good news in a world so completely busy and preoccupied, so driven and distracted, so addled with stress and anxiety. The invitation that calls us to greater stillness, to greater awareness of self and others can lead us to a place of new understanding, where we might craft resolutions to better care for our world and, in the process, ourselves.
At Trellis for Tomorrow, we are deeply committed to this process of looking around, of cultivating awareness, of lifelong learning, of caring for our world through the work we do and the words we choose. But we are also done-in by drive and distraction, prone to busyness and preoccupation, susceptible to stress and anxiety.
As we look to a new year with an unwritten history, awaiting the collective creative work of our world stewardship, we are compelled to look back, and to look around.
Looking back, we can see the path that has brought us here over these past 20 years of work in our region; we can see the pressing needs in our world that spurred us to the creation of numerous programs and initiatives that have engaged thousands of people and positively impacted nearly a million meals; we can see the incredible collection of like-minded people who came together to identify and name our Core Values. Could they be your core values too? Learn more here.
Looking around, we see people in need of connection and community, we see a food system in need of change, we see an ecosystem in need of better partners and stewards, and we see a generation of young leaders eager to step up.
This January, we invite you to slow down, look around, and make your own resolutions to better care for our world. Then, find your place for you to stand with us and support our work. Learn more here.
We’d love to from you! Share your comments or your own resolutions here.
David is a staff member of Trellis for Tomorrow. As Senior Programs Manager, he comes to us with 15 years of experience in community building, social justice work, and organic agriculture. When he’s not at Trellis, you might find him tending the crops for his local tea company or supporting other efforts for a more equitable and sustainable food system.
