New Year, New Hope, New Beginnings

New Beginnings - acrylic on canvas by Paulina Ponsford

A new year starts, bringing us new hope and resolutions, a clean slate to start all over. We have great expectations at the start of every year, especially this year: Are we finally going to be happy? Are we going to be able to regain order in our lives? Will the new Covid vaccine be our savior?

Last year humanity faced incredible chaos; loss of jobs; growing economic depression; an unknown deadly virus spreading across the globe; thousands of lives lost to the virus; fear; uncertainty; new strict regulations from our governments infringing on our fundamental human rights; last year was pure chaos!

Will 2021 bring us safety, comfort, and order to our lives so we can continue our pursuit of happiness? Probably not; life is full of chaotic moments that throw us of balance. Once we start focusing on our meaning in this life, the circumstances and chaos around us won't feel overwhelming; they might compromise our fleeting sense of happiness, but not our sense of meaning.

Meaning defines us; meaning gives us a purpose and awareness of what we need to do with our time regardless of our circumstances. Meaning takes the focus away from us; it gives us clarity and integrity; it gives us a clear vision of our purpose. Meaning is not about ourselves; it makes a difference in other people's lives, in our families, in our communities, on our planet.

I decided to paint a dove welcoming this new year; the dove represents beauty, peace, and harmony; it also represents the Holy Spirit. The dove's meaning is to bring inner peace between the physical and spiritual realms. Creating this painting brought me peace and new awareness. I hope it brings peace to you as well.

Link to video painting New Beginnings