One wild and precious life

As I sit down to my 2026 desk, it’s hard not to notice the sentimental feelings of new beginnings that come with the new year. I know that these feels will slowly melt away into the ordered schedule of the daily, monthly, yearly routine. However, even if it’s for these first few words that I type, there is a freshness to the day.

I was reflecting on this as I took my morning walk. How is it that there is this fresh start when nothing has really changed? Is it the turning of the year? Or is it down to the fact that it is finally inappropriate to eat a pound of cheese each day? Perhaps the reason is that with the Christmas decorations put away, the house looks clean and uncluttered. (I know, I know.. I should have waited until after January 6^th or what the Irish call Nollaig Na Mban, loosely translated to Women’s Christmas). Whatever the reason, the halls are undecked and the warm buttery morning sun shining through my office window announces a feeling of possibility.

I am not big on new year resolutions. Don’t get me wrong, there is a plan in place to drop the cheese and to return to simpler fare. Rather, I like to think much broader than implementing a new regime.

As always, I hear the words of the great Mary Oliver ring in my ears: tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life? These words act as a compass for me, any time of the year. What IS it that I plan to do with my one wild and precious life? And am I doing it?

Often times, I find that, in all actuality, I am already living the way that my heart pulls me: 2026 will see the launch of the Sanctuary’s Nature and Healing programme, the completion of another year on the MSc in Psychotherapy and my annual pilgrimage to my cabin in the woods. In which case, it is my resolve to put the conditions in place so that I truly remain open and present for the unfolding of these adventures, while at the same time cultivating a sense of gratitude for my blessings. This is where my mindfulness practice sustains me.

However, there can also be a deep longing for something more that feels just out of reach. For instance, I have always wanted to live (full time) surrounded by trees and nature. Instead, and in this moment, I live in a housing estate surrounded by other houses. So, I ask myself how can I remain committed to the vision even when the conditions are not exactly there?

Well, I take the first manageable step.  This year, I ordered some hazelnut trees to plant in my garden. I also followed the advice of one of our community members at the Sanctuary’s Tuesday morning online community meditation sessions. I staked some cut apples to the ground with a stick and I have spent the first days of 2026 joyfully watching the blackbirds, wrens and robins have a feast amongst the frosty earth. Nature comes in all shapes and sizes, regardless of where you live.

Tell me, what else would I be doing with my one wild and precious life? Better yet, tell me what is it that you plan to do with yours?

We return next Tuesday, January 13^th  at 10am for the Sanctuary’s Tuesday morning online sessions. Mark it in your diary!

Wishing you all blessings of renewal and peace for 2026.

-Jane

Click below to access the Sanctuary’s Tuesday morning online community meditation:

Click here to join me at the Sanctuary’s online community meditation this Tuesday at 10am.