Time, once again, to acknowledge the conventional « passage of time » that we call the « new year. » It’s a great moment, in fact, when many of us reflect on what has been and what is to come, when we express our hopes and wishes for ourselves and others.

It’s also a fine moment to stop and look right here, now, wherever you are: What is « it » right here? Who is « it » right here? When is « it » right now?

« If the doors of perception were cleansed, » noted William Blake, « everything would appear to man as it is, Infinite. »

That « cleansing » is actually not about « dirty » or « clean, » but rather about opening the doors so that we can see and appreciate things as they are in all their extraordinary ordinary splendor.

Every moment is a new year, every breath a new life, every heartbeat a step into a new world.