Refill the Fountain: Three Paths to Success in 2022

Refill is a great word for 2022.

Nothing flows unless there’s refilling.

Imagine you are a beautiful swimming pool.

Water is clear and clean . . .

when the right chemicals are mixed in every week.

Here are three ingredients for a bubbling you in 2022.

Path #1: More hobby, less TV

At 67, I’m refueling my soul by playing the sax.

Just 30 minutes every day fills my tank.

When channeled to other people, it multiples joy.

I shared a few soft jazz Christmas tunes via Facebook live on Dec. 23rd.

Mixing songs with stories warmed my heart and others too.

https://www.facebook.com/100014487492258/videos/431622848416364/

Playing the sax sparks creativity in other work like . . .

• writing
• filming

“I begin with an idea,” explained Picasso, “and then it becomes something else.”

Fire-up past or present hobbies in 2022 and watch your fruit multiply.

Path #2: More service, less indulgence

My friend Todd introduced me to Meals on Wheels two years ago.

It was fun because we did it together and found . . .

• joy
• empathy
• purpose

by serving those in greatest need.

Volunteering glides us into a wide variety of folks including animals.

What a great way to . . .

• blow up tribal boundaries
• meet diverse people
• enrich communities
• heal division

Oh, and watch what it does to you and your family and your friends.

Path #3: More solitude, less stress

Everybody needs a “room of one’s own,” said Georgia O’Keefe.

Every day.

Maybe COVID has many thinking otherwise.

Yet, I have discovered deep joy in solitary reflection.

Solitude is not running away from the world, but encountering it.

Here’s what I find in regular meditation.

• Our life is a gift from God.
• Accepting this relieves the burdens.
• God knows who you are and where you are.

“I know that there is nothing better for people than to be happy and to do good while they live. That each of them may eat and drink, and find satisfaction in all their toil—this is the gift of God. I know that everything God does will endure forever; nothing can be added to it and nothing taken from it.” Ecclesiastes 3 selected verses

Never stop your hobby.

Never stop service.

Never stop reflection.

Never stop starting.

Let’s refill together in 2022.