This year has been filled with moments of startling personal revelation. The silence of being alone has created space for awareness, sometimes by choice and sometimes because I was confronted by it and chose to NOT turn away. But now…I am SEEING more clearly. I JUDGING less quickly. I FEELING more deeply. For the first time I recognize the limitations of my life lens and am actively seeking to understand, appreciate and learn more about those whose lives have been different from mine. Never before has the commandment to “Love thy neighbour as thyself” been more relevant to me in my everyday life. So I am reading, challenging my conditioned responses, reaching out to friends who are further along the path, and praying, meditating and being compassionate with myself. It’s tough and humbling to become enlightened later in life and realize how many people I may have offended intentionally, unintentionally because of ignorance or just being too lazy to step outside my comfort zone.