A moment to reflect.

Dear God,

This morning,
I woke up. I’m alive.
I felt my feet hit the ground.
That feeling never gets old.
I’m lucky. It’s another day of bonus time.

You threw a lot at us this year, like every year, but it feels like life is getting faster. How about you? Like most, I had moments when I didn’t show up perfectly.

Sorry about that, but I’m human, which you know.

While I have you, just between us, given all on your to-do list, you’re not really helping someone win an Oscar or manifest seven figures, right?​

And that thing about Cowboys’ Stadium having a hole in the roof so you can watch – that’s not true, right? Because they stink, but I will say they’re not as bad as the Jets.​

Sorry, I digress.

Yesterday, as I sipped my morning latte, I felt your presence, along with the other baristas who have poured into my M.U.G. (Mother Earth, Universe and You). I watched the season’s first real snow hang on our fir trees out back and gently fall to the ground before the sun came up.

I think you know this, but I used to be upset with you – especially when people told me that you were looking out for me or things “happen for a reason.” For the record, I still don’t believe they do; things happen, and we create stories to explain what happened.

But during quiet moments like yesterday, or when I was cycling next to the Grand Tetons or truly noticing the souls of others, I realized the awe I sensed in these moments was you.

So, as we end the year and a challenging five-year period, may I ask you something?

Are we missing something obvious?

It feels like we’re drowning in information but starving for wisdom. We are better off, but not where we’d like to be. We are connected in ways humanity has never been before, but too many feel profound loneliness.

Did we miss a turn? Is our GPS broken? Are we lost, or is this the path?

Because many are tired of the struggle, we’re tired of the noise, the constant chatter in our heads, the hate, the thumb-war between our best and most reactive selves, and of wondering if we will be alight.

Do you still recognize us? Are you proud?

I know you trust us to figure things out, but if you can give us a little hint—or maybe a sign you could channel through Anderson and Andy on New Year’s Eve saying, “Hey, start here”—it would help us see each other, remind us that our attention is our most valuable resource, and give us the grace to start again when we “break some eggs.”

What advice would you give us?

Most of us would appreciate anything you wish to share because we sense that 2025 will be another full year.

But despite what comes our way, I remain hopeful. I have faith. I believe. I know we’re strong. We’re gritty. We’re resilient.

How about you?

As poet Mary Oliver wrote (I think you like her), we only have “one wild and precious life.” So I will simply say thank you for mine, for all the moments, from the muddy to the sunny, and for all the lessons in between that have helped me keep pedaling. I am grateful.

Oh, one last thing: If you do put your finger on the scale from time to time, can you help the Buffalo Bills win the Super Bowl this year. My Dad would appreciate it.

May peace be with us.

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah.

Michael

P.S. If you want to join our Pause Breathe Reflect community, click HERE, and start 2025 with better phone habits, click HERE and if you want one of my new Choose Compassion or Choose Joy Stickers, click HERE.

P.S.S., Listen to the latest episode of The Kintsugi Podcast – It’s about My Cousin Vinny and being an unconventional case (15 mins long)