I had been trying to figure out something to post about to mark the New Year. Resolutions? Celebrations? A post-game wrap up of the wonder that was 2009? Nothing seemed to fit. Or, more truthfully, I didn’t fit.

You see, the truth is that for the last few days, your faithful Om Sweet Om blogger has found himself in a bit of a Holiday Season rut, feeling cranky and uninspired, with a wintry cold and a severe case of blogger’s block.

And then, this afternoon, I happened to come across this gem. It seems to say it all. Sometimes its the simplest words that can make the biggest impact. Here’s to the hope of achieving the happiest of New Years, for you and for me.

“The
real way to celebrate the happy New Year is not to run after happiness
outside of yourself. Try to find that hiding happiness within you. If
you don’t have happiness in you, you won’t find happiness anywhere
outside. Essentially we are all happy, we are all joyful, we are all
peaceful. Nobody and nothing can make you happy. Whether new year or
old year or good year or bad year, don’t blame the year for that. It is
up to you to enjoy your own happiness or to run after the borrowed
happiness, temporary happiness. So may this New Year make you realize
your own happiness and to celebrate not only the New Year, celebrate
new minutes. Every minute is new. And the easiest way to find happiness
is to put yourself in the hands of the Almighty, the supreme God.
Whatever you do, do it in the name of God. Let that be your New Year’s
goal. May God help you to achieve that. Thank you, and God bless you. God bless you. OM Shanti, Shanti, Shanti.”

– His Holiness Sri
Swami Satchidananda