It is only now, looking back a year into my new life, that I realize what a crazy thing it was to do, and what a brilliant one. What made me take the leap? I went for a few months, to write and gain some perspective.

While preparing for a recent Tai Chi class, I was struck by the importance of space in generating power in Yang-style Tai Chi. This led me to think about how critical space can be in generating powerful results in anyone's life.

For nearly a decade now, I've begun my workdays by focusing for 90 minutes on the task I decide the night before is the most important one I'll face the following day. I long ago discovered that my capacity for intense focus diminishes as the day wears on.

New Year is a return to the eternal beginnings. Back to where there is only hope and promise and enthusiastic, well-intentioned energy. Back to the original big-bang-back-seat cosmic conception.

Gratifying our most immediate needs and desires provides bursts of pleasure, but they're usually short-lived. We derive the most enduring sense of meaning and satisfaction in our lives when we serve something larger than ourselves.

Do you struggle, too, to slow down? What activities can you add to your life, wherever you are, whatever your situation, that you'll truly take the time to savor?

I'm awed by the complex lives that so many women I know -- most especially the single mothers -- manage with such grace. I'm also aware what they sacrifice, which is most often themselves.