Are you ready for 2012? Is your rice bowl empty?

This is an oldie but goodie that’s worth hauling out of the bloggy mothballs.

The start of a new year is always a good time to dredge up old Zen parables, especially if you live in California. (In my home state of Wisconsin, most parables revolve around 17 Creative Ways To Use Stale Beer or the legend that is Vince Lombardi.)

The tale goes like this: A student went to visit a famous Zen master. The master served tea and rice while the student talked about his desire to learn Zen. The master filled up the rice bowl up to the brim until it overflowed. Finally, distracted, the student blurted: “It’s too full! No more will go in!” The Zen Master sighed, saying: “You are like this bowl. How can I show you Zen until you first empty this bowl?”

You will not be ready for 2012 until you empty those last kernels of rice from 2011.

Here are 3 ways to clear out the rice bowl so you can fill it with new ideas, energy and inspirations in the coming new year:

Take a piece of paper and write down (yes, with an actual pen or pencil) what clogged your rice bowl in 2011. What emotions rose up and overflowed? What feelings did you cram back down? What events filled that bowl? Don’t worry about your penmanship, grammar or spelling — just jot down what-was in your 2011 world.
Now take that piece of paper and read it out loud. Once. Twice. (Privacy is good) Then take the paper and put it in an envelope. Write 2011 on the outside.

And finally — you choose– either take the 2011 envelope and put it in the freezer — or take the 2011 envelope and put a match to it. That’s right. Deep-freeze it. Or burn it. Whether you pick fire or ice, you’ll be cleaning up and clearing out the final remnants of a year you’ve now fully completed.

Your bowl is now gloriously empty and ready to be newly filled by the hope, discovery and energy coming your way in 2012.

How will you end 2009?

How will you end the year of our Lord 2009? Will you finish this year — or will you complete it?

Finishing just happens; you don’t have much to do with it. 12:01 a.m. merely pops up on the clock and that’s that. You move on to 2010 without so much as a faretheewell to the 365 days that just passed.

But completing . . . now’s here’s a different story. Completing is active, not passive. Completion is something you make a decision to do. You vow to complete on 2009 and all that it was to you. You energetically wrap it up, acknowledge it, and applaud its gifts. 2009′s lessons are now bound in its own primer and filed away for future reference.

Completing feels like choice. As I am a great advocate of not having rules imposed upon me, I’ll go for completion over finished every time. Wouldn’t you rather have a completion date than a deadline?

So here’s what I am saying to myself on these last hours of 2009:

Thank you, 2009, for teaching me so much about __________. I’ve learned so much about ______, that in fact, I am completed on it.

Thank you, 2009, for giving me so much _____. I really appreciated that.

I know that 2010 will bring me new lessons. I am fervently hoping that one of these lessons will fall into the domain of what it feels like to discover my jeans are too loose. Or maybe I could be challenged by having too much Apple stock just as iSlate hits on January 26.

So if there are parts of 2009 that you want to be done with — say adieu to them now. Don’t just finish the year out. Don’t drag the grief, hurts, angers, fears or frustrations from one calendar to the next. Actively let them go.

There’s a Completion exercise that’s worked for many of my friends. On New Year’s Eve, they sit in front of the fireplace, bonfire or candle. First, they write down all they want to complete on for that year. Then they say a farewell prayer or meditation, and place the slips of paper into the flame, watching as each curls and burns. As the smoke rises, they bless 2009 and say goodbye for good.

Happy New Year!

Are You Ready for 2009? Is Your Rice Bowl Empty?

The start of a new year is always a good time to dredge up old Zen parables, especially if you live in California. (In my homestate of Wisconsin, most parables revolve around 17 Creative Ways To Use Stale Beer.)

The tale goes like this: A student went to visit a famous Zen master. The master served tea and rice while the student talked about his desire to learn Zen. The master filled up the rice bowl up to the brim until it overflowed. Finally, distracted, the student blurted: “It’s too full! No more will go in!” The Zen Master sighed, saying: “You are like this bowl. How can I show you Zen until you first empty this bowl?”

You will not be ready for 2009 until you empty those last kernels of rice from 2008.

Here are 3 ways to clear out the rice bowl so you can fill it with new ideas, energy and inspirations in the coming new year:

• Take a piece of paper and write down (yes, with an actual pen or pencil) what clogged your rice bowl in 2008. What emotions rose up and overflowed? What feelings did you cram back down? What events filled that bowl? Don’t worry about your penmanship, grammar or spelling — just jot down what-was in your 2008 world.
• Now take that piece of paper and read it outloud. Once. Twice. (Privacy is good) Then take the paper and put it in an envelope. Write 2008 on the outside.
• And finally — you choose– either take the 2008 envelope and put it in the freezer — or take the 2008 envelope and put a match to it. That’s right. Deep-freeze it. Or burn it. Whether you pick fire or ice, you’ll be cleaning up and clearing out the final remnants of a year you’ve now fully completed.

Your bowl is now gloriously empty and ready to be newly filled by the hope, discovery and energy coming your way in 2009.