I often refer to the quote by J.R.R. Tolkien: "Not all who wander are lost." I think that resonates so deeply because our journey is so much more than literally going somewhere. Our journey begins inward; going to a place where we have to pause and do some self-reflecting, make tough choices, learn to let go of things that no longer serve us. I also believe in more direct terms, Tolkien is simply saying that wandering is a choice. A conscience one. This year has been filled with moments of wandering, meandering, exploring, and reflecting. We haven't quite made it on the other side of COVID, there is still great division, climate change is beginning to take center stage, empathy is still waiting in the wings to be featured as our most necessary human trait, and life is slowly redefining itself. As we say goodbye to another year, I ask you to do better. Don't get lost in a sea of regret or misunderstanding, but instead brace for love, unity, thoughtfulness, impermanence—and dive into a wave of awakening. In other words, don't live life on repeat. To quote Heraclitus: "No man ever steps in the same river twice; for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." May we always be in the state of becoming ...

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