Streets of Gold
It’s December 30. Time to start thinking about New Year’s resolutions. The last time I made a New Year’s resolution was in 2020. I had decided to take charge of my health by losing some weight in order to lower my blood pressure. In fact, I lost 70 pounds in 2020 and my blood pressure went from borderline problematic to low in the normal range. In addition I became a certified Health Coach in June of 2020. Unfortunately, over the next two years I put about half of that weight back on, but still, it’s a win. With that win under my (much smaller) belt, I decided to get back into daily writing. I had already started my new blog: Everyday Miracles[1]. But with only one post since its November inauguration, the inspiration I had enjoyed at the beginning had faded.
What to do? Well, I used to teach creative writing. I always
told my students to make a daily appointment with themselves: a minimum one
hour in their most creative time of day (eight in the morning for me). During
that hour the phone is silenced or switched off, doorbell is ignored, and chores
are left until later. That hour is solely and strictly for writing and nothing
else. The amazing thing about this appointment is that if you treat this time
with appropriate seriousness, soon you will find your creative flow flooding in
to greet you almost as soon as you enter the room. That creative flow feels so
good that it won’t be hard to keep your appointment once the flow starts
showing up.
But my resolution for 2025 is not only about writing, but
also about getting daily exercise. Nothing too fancy or difficult, just a daily
walk around the neighborhood. I have a few indoor exercises I can do, too, but
I really like getting out into the fresh air. It’s a good contrast and keeps me
from becoming too much of a hermit. Walking was my exercise of choice for
losing weight in 2020, so I know it’s sustainable, if I can just get started.
This morning I went for a walk, not wanting to wait until January
first. I found a street in my neighborhood that I had never been down before.
When I turned the corner I saw my miracle: it had rained yesterday afternoon
and probably last night as well. The sun rising this morning was shining on the
wet asphalt, making the street look golden. Just this morning (about an hour
before my walk) I had read about the streets of gold:
The main street of the City was
pure gold, translucent as glass[2].
Now, I know that an optical illusion is not a miracle in the
strictest sense of the word:
An event that occurs when God
directly intervenes in the world, defying the normal laws of nature and common
expectations.
Pastor Steve Cioccolanti says that a miracle that can be
explained as a natural occurrence is still a miracle based on the timing. The
timing of this optical illusion was miraculous for me, even if it seemed normal
and natural to everyone else who saw it.
Furthermore, the Hebrew word for miracle, nasah,
gives an interesting insight because it also means banner or sign. This morning’s
optical illusion was indeed that: a sign to me, personally, to get back into
daily writing.
So please join me on my journey into Everyday Miracles. Every.
Day: Miracles!
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