Goodbye, hello!

How are you feeling about another year coming to a close? And about ushering a brand new one? Now is a good time in which to reflect on what both the "goodbye" and the "hello" mean to you.

I recently read that, in addition to any personal trauma we may have experienced in a given year, we must add to that the collective trauma of bad news we've all absorbed throughout a year—the mass killings, terrorist attacks, deaths of beloved public figures, political fights, wars and rumors of war, etc. When we do that, we'll come closer to knowing the depth of any psychic blows we've sustained. And then we can decide what to do about them. At least we won't be in denial about what we're feeling.

It's also extremely important that we do everything we can to find things that keep us hopeful. Let's call forth our better angels. Let's carry the light for ourselves and each other—for the country and the globe—in ways both large and small. We aren't helpless. We don't have to swing in the wind or dangle helplessly over the canyon. Take charge of what we can—our attitudes and our behavior. Then perhaps we'll be more ready to transition into the new year.