By Rev. Bruce G. Epperly, Ph.D.
Francis of Assisi’s first biographer Thomas of Celano described Francis as “always new, always fresh, always beginning again.” Now, for most of us with a history and several decades of habits and preferences, Celano’s description seems an impossibility. We often feel set in our ways and resist change. Yet, as President Jimmy Carter noted, the most creative times of our lives are when we go away to college and in our first years of retirement. Certainly, that was the case with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, who embarked on four decades of adventures of spirit, politics, and service following Carter’s presidency.
Novelty, freshness, and new beginnings are a matter of attitude and spirit as much as behavior. We can begin the day, realizing that each day brings new adventures, and that we can affirm as each day begins the words of the Psalmist, “this is the day that God has made and I will rejoice and be glad in it.” We set the stage for each day with Mary Oliver’s question, “What is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
We all have patterns and proclivities. For example, I wake up before dawn, meditate, write or read, and then take a three-mile walk, and keep up this practice whether I am at home or on holiday. This pattern works for me. I have learned to be flexible about my rituals. I have also realized that even if I regularly walk the same roads in my Potomac, Maryland, neighborhood, every step brings new sights in this new and unrepeatable day.
Scripture speaks of God’s affirmation, “Behold I do a new thing,” and God invites us to creative novelty, recognizing that even the smallest variations in our lives can bring new possibilities. As an active writer, pastor, and professor in my “retirement,” I am always learning new things. Indeed, the world and your life are full of new things, and you can embark on small adventures that keep mind, body, and spirit fresh and active and may contribute to positive changes in mental and physical well-being.
We can rejoice in the present, give thanks for the past, and look forward to the future as we embrace the creative possibilities of each new day. We can live out the spirit of Kalidasa (4th-5th century), considered one of India’s greatest poets.
