The (Gregorian) New Year has dawned, at least for those of us here in Korea, as I write this…and with this somewhat artificial ‘turning of the year’ comes a great sense of new beginnings. We all say goodbye to the cares and woes of the previous year, and vow and set out to make the upcoming one better in some way. The allure of a fresh start is universally appealing.
So too for me. I am now fully relocated on Jeju Island, off the southern tip of the Korean peninsula, and will begin a counseling practice here soon — in addition to my work as both writer and educator. I’m delighted with my new community…and this, my next new life.
And I encourage each of you to make the most of this sense of newness, of renewal, and embrace the idea that we have a fresh start…each morning as we awake. This sense differs from culture to culture. But at its most basic, each day provides each of us with a new beginning.
Happy and Healthy New Year to one and all. May 2011 bring peace to this lovely world of ours…at long last.
Dr. Anne Hilty is a Cultural Health Psychologist with a focus on the interplay of Eastern and Western theories of mental health as well as the mind-body connection. Her grounding is in the fields of cultural, transpersonal, and health psychology; she is additionally influenced by classical Chinese medicine, somatic psychology, and Asian shamanic traditions. Originally from the city of New York, Dr. Hilty lives on bucolic Jeju Island in South Korea, having previously lived in Seoul and Hong Kong.
