You may remember a post of mine from last January where I talked about a great practice I learned of from a post by freelance writer Teresa Coda: choosing a word, a quote, and a quest as guide stones for the new year.
The โquestโ that I named in that post did not pan out the way I had planned. I had to put my Perilous Realms podcast on indefinite hold early on in 2023 as other commitments began to take priority.
But thatโs okay! Sometimes itโs important to be flexible with your goals. And I accomplished a lot last year. Check out my yearโs-end roundup post for more details:
As 2024 begins, Iโd like to go through the โword, quote, questโ exercise again and clarify my spiritual and creative vision for the New Year.
Word
On reflection, the key word that keeps coming back to my mind in recent weeks is: Joy.
Iโve battled depression all of my adult life, but Iโve been learning recently that true, abiding joy can be found even among trying circumstances. Even when things donโt go right.
Saint Thรฉrรจse of Lisieux has taught me this. Iโve started to foster a special devotion to the Little Flower of Carmel. I was particularly moved by the account of her final years in the wonderful book Saint Thรฉrรจse of Lisieux: Story of a Life.
Even in the agony of tuberculosis, even amid the darkness of spiritual affliction, Thรฉrรจse found joy โ A joy like swords (if I can paraphrase the great J.R.R. Tolkien). It is this abiding joy, amid the crosses and challenges of everyday life, that I want to foster this year.
Quote
Iโm going to cheat and use two quotes. I cannot decide between them and, anyway, they both express the same idea: that true lasting joy, contentment, and happiness are not found in the passing goods and fleeting pleasures that the world so aggressively pushes on us.
The first quote comes from one of my favorite saints, Augustine of Hippo, the author of the spiritual masterpiece Confessions. At the beginning of the book, Augustine cries out to God:
โYou have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our hearts are restless until they rest in You.โ
Recently, on the social media platform formerly known as Twitter, Bishop Robert Barron of the Diocese of Winona-Rochester expressed a related truth:
These two quotes succinctly express the spiritual journey that Iโve been on for the past year or so. My heart often feels restless and discontented. As an enthusiastic collector of books, bric-a-brac, and assorted oddments, I have too often used my collecting hobby as a way of quieting my nagging sense of dissatisfaction.
Of course, I never put it that way to myself. I always rationalize my compulsive purchases as somehow necessary. (I need all these books for RESEARCH!) But filling myself up with โstuffโ always tends to rob me of joy.
Iโm slowly (and somewhat painfully) learning the profound truth that emptying oneself of disordered attachments to material goods makes more room for God to enter in to my heart and still my chronic restlessness.
Quest
I not only tend to fill up my life with stuff. I also tend to crowd my schedule with activities. If youโve followed this newsletter in 2023, you know that my tendencies toward overscheduling and workaholism have caused several episodes of burnout last year.
Iโm going to try and set realistic limits on my creative goals for 2024. I can only choose one quest โ one passion project to set as a top priority. In my mind, that quest has to be: finishing a complete draft of my fantasy-adventure novel.
Iโve talked about the novel before in this newsletter, but (to my embarrassment) I have little to show for it so far.
Frankly, Iโm a bit intimidated by this book. I often find myself worrying anxiously: What if such a novel is beyond my skill? Call it โpage frightโ, performance anxiety, or imposter syndrome. In any case, Iโve been avoiding this novel for too long. I need to finally get this story out of me.
Iโll be working with my good friend and book coach Katelin Cummins to set a reasonable and achievable writing schedule so that I can finish this first draft before the year is out. Thatโs my quest for 2024. Itโs sure to be a grand adventure.
I think the โword, quote, questโ method is a great way to set the tone for the New Year. How about you? Let me know in the comments if youโve found this post helpful and if youโve come up with your own special word, quote, and quest for 2024.
In the meantime, be sure to share my Pageturning newsletter with anyone you think might be interested in following my creative journey. Be on the lookout for at least a couple more posts this month!
Ooh! Speaking of St. Thรฉrรจse, the Holy Father's apostolic exhortation on her evoked tears as I read it. https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/apost_exhortations/documents/20231015-santateresa-delbambinogesu.html
I wish you all the best this year, Thomas!