It’s a new year and I’ve decided that this year, the lights will be even brighter.
I celebrated the birth of 2012 in a most unusual fashion for me: no booze, no countdown, no party dress, and I suppose more importantly, no friends. But more on that in a sec.
Dec 30 and I found myself Skyping with a friend in Australia, where for him it was the eve of the new year, and there were celebrations to organize. The mere mention of “home” brought me to tears, despite my transparent bravado. I could choose: would I sit home, forcing myself to sleep before the 3, 2, 1… extravaganza, or would I explore the opportunities offered, only for the sake of getting out of my apartment (which I hadn’t left in 2 days!)?
Then something happened. I was invited to join my housemate with her friends to a vegan dinner, followed by a “Dharma Punx” meditation to welcome the new year. I was rapt. I didn’t need the booze, the party dress or kissing a stranger to herald a new beginning. That wouldn’t be wiping the slate clean for a fresh start. That would be inviting the same drama I’ve been entertaining for the past 7 or so months, inevitably crashing the party that will be 2012.
So there I was, eating my kale caesar salad in a trendy vegan restaurant in the West Village with 3 women I hardly knew, and I was having a blast. 11.00pm and we arrived at our Bowery meditation centre, walked up the steep stairs to a narrow hallway lined with shoes, and emerged into a packed room filled with people from all walks. How liberating. You didn’t have to provide evidence of running away from the circus to be welcomed into this group.
11.10pm the bell rang and we sat in forced stillness and quiet for 30 minutes. The bell rang again and the Dharma Punx teacher came to the front of the room, the most-tattooed man I’ve seen in real life, and he crouched over a cushion and began to talk to us about the Dharma Punx lifestyle: a form of spirituality derived from a punk rock background and Buddhism beliefs, followed by many to awaken natural wisdom and compassion.
I thought it was cool. That’s not so say I’m going to become a tattooed Buddhist, but the simple “goals” they set for themselves are highly achievable, and certainly put a few things in perspective for me.
What a way to bring in the new year. A calm and gentle “happy new year” and a friendly chat until 1am with some really awesome chicks who started the session by saying, “let’s meditate the shit out of this!”, and we did.
