In 2024, Be Like Geese: Be Still, Envision, Then Take Action

“Look at those geese just standing on ice. What are they doing?” My partner uttered as we walked near the water’s edge.

“I wonder what they are waiting for,” I thought. I noticed two geese in the middle of a partly frozen lake in a park near the Rockies. The water under their webbed feet was frozen and hard. They were still looking around for water they could rest on, but I could see fresh water on the lake. Why were they waiting to move or fly?

It’s the end of December, and it’s that limbo time again. It’s the week after sleigh bells, gifts, empty stockings, and sparkling lights (for some of us), and the week before the new year. This week always feels like a time of reflection for me; like most people, I want to set goals, prepare for 2024, and make solid plans to improve my life. Don’t we all want that?

But, this week is also a time of worry for most people, especially when we imagine what might be coming in 2024.

Undoubtedly, the last few years have been extremely difficult, and 2024 will not be easier. We are facing an uphill battle for democracy worldwide, not just in the U.S. where I live. The world’s problems seem and feel endless. If you think 2024 is going to be the scariest year yet, you might be right to feel this way.

Endless wars, genocide of the worst proportions, apathy, fear, despair, crippling debt, racism, ignorance, hate-based attacks and murder, violence in the home, and school mass shootings (the most in the United States), and abortion bans are what we face. Misogyny, rape, online bullying and threats, misinformation, unrelenting propaganda, suicide, and mental illness have not subsided. Climate change deniers, COVID-19 disinformation and lies, and flat earth advocates continue to spew their ignorance on social media platforms. The list doesn’t stop there — it goes on and on. It feels like the world is unraveling, thread by thread. It feels like people have collectively lost their minds.

I could continue, but I am sure you get the picture.

Sometimes I want to run away, become apathetic, and deny it all. But, then I imagine a world where none of these problems exist. Call me a dreamer, a wishful thinker, or even a fool, but hope followed by action for a better world keeps me going and keeps me fighting. Hope gets me out of bed, helps me brush my teeth and face the day. Without hope, I would remain frozen on the lake waiting for things to change and expecting them to improve. But, that is not how life works.

Hoping, envisioning, making plans, and taking action — THAT is how things change.

I work for a nonprofit that helps Latine people live healthy and self-determined lives. We educate, advocate, and fight for marginalized people. We also take an intersectional approach and fight for reproductive justice for all. It’s definitely hard work, and I fulfill an important role, but right now, I am on a break for the holiday season. I have written rarely since I started working this job because I’ve chosen to devote my energy to the cause and the organization.

I love my work, but despite all of it, I miss writing because I am a writer who needs to write. Writing keeps me sane, helps me sort the shit that comes my way, gives me the courage to explore and heal and put my past in perspective, and allows me to ponder the meaning of it all. Writing MAKES ME A BETTER PERSON.

“I can shake off everything as I write; my sorrows disappear, my courage is reborn.”
-Anne Frank

So, here is my ONE goal for 2024: I am committing to writing daily and publishing again on this site. That is my commitment to myself and to the geese that have inspired me to never give up. I am committed to writing because I have to (why this is the case is a topic for another article at another time). This is my ONE goal for 2024 no matter what my day job throws my way.

What is your one goal for the new year? Just devote yourself to ONE. You don’t have to change the world but know that the world is changed positively or negatively only with your actions. Once you choose to commit to a goal for 2024, you will be inspired to reach for more. It’s how it works. It’s how we encourage each other to fix all the problems we face. One person at a time. One goal at a time. One step at a time.

Be Still. Envision. Plan. Execute. Do your best and don’t give up. You will run into obstacles. Ride them out. Don’t quit. If you have to sit on the ice for a while before you make your move like our geese friends, that’s okay. Whatever you do, don’t freeze and avoid making a decision. Be bold and fly. We need you to do your part to improve a very troubled world.

Be like geese. It’s how we move forward as a people and society.