What are your first thoughts upon opening your eyes on January 1st? Are you ready to jump in with both feet, are you thinking the same things you did 24 hours ago, or are you nervous, yet excited to see what’s to come? Somewhere in there is a little bit of each of us. That first whiff of a new year is something special. Roll all of your favorite smells into one and you’ve got that first breath of air on the 1st of January.

What do Star Wars, Indiana Jones, and Monty Python's Life of Brian have in common? I bet you were wracking your brain to remember if Harrison Ford was in Life of Brian (he wasn’t). No, it’s more geographic – all of them were filmed in Tunisia!

Where in the United States can you visit the oldest continuously inhabited Native American community, a town square dating to the end of the 18th century, a world-renowned art community, and a world-class ski resort? Taos, New Mexico is the correct answer. While many people visit Northern New Mexico for its moderate climate and Rio Grande Valley scenery, history comes alive in Taos.

It is winter in the northern hemisphere.

Unsettled weather in every sense of the word, in every part of the world, at this December.

Yet, that very unsettled aspect can offer encouragement and means to treasure connections, to deepen them, to look for those things which we hold in common rather than what divides us. Yes, that can be hard, but the long term consequences of the alternatives are harder still.