Among the many cheesy things I do (example), there is one that is becoming my favorite. Every birthday, I pull out a card from a deck of angel cards and try to follow the word on it for the rest of the year.

The original intent of the card may have been to suggest a spiritual pathway that gets you closer to your angel. I like to think of it more as an inspirational start to a year, much like with new years resolutions where we take on new projects or reform bad habits. Only, with angel cards there is no success or failure. There are just thoughts or qualities to be aware of and encourage for the rest of the year.

Some of the words in the cards seem quite direct, like "Adventure" or "Commitment" and then there are some that are more abstract like "Resilience" or "Expansiveness", but they are all as simple or as deep as you want them to be and can have meanings beyond the obvious.

This year Tapi and I decided to do the angel card tradition together, so we pushed it from birthday to new year. Tapi’s word is "Harmony" and mine is "Respect". We both made our grumpy faces at what seemed like the most unexciting words for the year! Tapi is already Harmony personified. Anyone who has met him will attest to that. "Respect" and I are like Mayonnaise and Sunshine. I suppose his challenge is in figuring out how to follow his word better than he already is, and my challenge is to follow mine, period. :) (For some reason, the really exciting cards that say "Exploration" or "Celebration" always elude me!)

If you like, I have an angel card for you. You can tell me at the end of the year how you did with it. :)