What if we also looked at our little steps?

At the turn of the year, it is customary to take a moment to reflect on the year that has just passed.

What have I done? What have I achieved? What were the highlights? In my work, in my family, in the world.

This way of looking rather made me see the most important events, the most significant achievements.

The birth of a loved one, the completion of a writing project, professional success, a cure, the acquisition of a desirable asset, a successful celebration, a major collective event (like the Paris Olympic Games), or, unfortunately also, the rise to power of new threats...

It's like looking at the passes and peaks I've climbed along my path over the past year. But are these singular milestones a relevant reflection of what I've experienced?

They tell me about what I have done. But what do they tell me about how I did it? What do they evoke about what I have learned, or what I have become aware of? What recognition do they have for the new encounters that have enlightened and enriched me from within? How do they tell me about the quality of the relationships I have experienced with the people who matter to me? With this perspective, what remains of what I have dared, what has amazed me or what my attentive presence has been able to provoke in another?

So I also looked at the small steps I took throughout the year. I questioned the gestures, the words, the attentions and the seemingly insignificant little choices that led me over the days from passes to summits. They made me move forward towards new knowledge, towards an expanded consciousness and towards new or deeper relationships.

What books have I read that have introduced me to things I didn't even know existed?

What experiences did I have for the first time?

What have I given up, like so many stones in my shoe?

What wonders have I experienced in connection with nature, children or loved ones?

With whom among my loved ones have I had the chance to have a first deep and authentic conversation in a long time?

What enlightening new people have I met?

This look at the past year has filled me with gratitude. Also, I wish you a beautiful year 2025, made of lively little steps, between the passes and summits of your life.

Francois