“We are born with a mind, open to everything, no fear, no known boundaries, but with each new rule, restriction the mind divides.” – Patti Smith
Buenos dias! Feliz Ano Nuevo! As you can guess, I started Course in Miracles (Lesson #1) again on January 1. My intention, like every year, is true perception.
True perception, according to the Course, has NO LIMITS and is the opposite of how I often perceive the world now.
What could be a better curriculum than that? Seeing without limits, without boundaries, without fear.
I also made a wee side goal of creating something new every day. It doesn’t have to be big or earth-shattering. In fact, rarely will it be. My daily creation can be anything from a quick poem to a doodle on the side of an envelope.
The post you’re reading now is today’s creation.
The germination for this idea started on Christmas.
Rather than purchase a bunch of junk that nobody really wants, we — in my family — decided to handmake all our gifts. Nothing store bought allowed. (See video below)
Kris made ornaments for each person’s pets. Chloe made lip balm from marigolds in her garden. Jim and I painted mini-canvases and made more than 100 tiny gingerbread men.
It was stupendous. The gift was actually making the creations themselves. Demonstrating to ourselves our innate imagination and ability to create.
Everybody needs to know this.
Because if you don’t, you tend to fret and feel that you’re at the mercy of outside forces.
Outside forces insist you need to consume, to watch other people’s creations, to enjoy corporations’ endless offerings in the world.
But that’s not why we’re here. And if we feel beholden to that story, we don’t recognize how powerful we are, how easy it is to imagine something completely different.
I believe it’s the most important thing we could ever learn.
I started 2026 in Bentonville, Arkansas at the amazing Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art. I first visited Crystal Bridges in 2014 on a writing assignment. I was sent by an art magazine to cover the museum’s State of the Art exhibit. For a year, museum curators crisscrossed the country, visiting every state searching for working artists that had yet to get the recognition they deserved.
The 100,000-mile journey uncovered 102 artists ranging from Justin Favela and his Lowrider Pinata, a life-size lowrider car made from paper and cardboard, to Andy DuCett’s Mom Booth that featured real moms giving advice.
I’ve returned to Bentonville many times since. And while it wasn’t quite the same start to the year as 2025 where I celebrated on the South African savannah, it provided an amazing high-vibe kickoff to 2026.
Because you can’t NOT think of art in Bentonville, I spontaneously decided to launch this new project right there and then.
Needless to say, I had to manifest all the tools I needed. Paper and pencil were pretty easy to secure. So I now have four pencil sketches (I did two on January 1 for good measure) to my name.
They’re not professional. Very unlikely I’d show them to anyone. But they proved to me that a) I can create whatever I want), b) that whatever I need is always available and c) there’s no reason to succumb to anyone else’s story of what to buy, consume, watch or do.
Here’s to a glorious, blessed New Year filled with love and peace for all.
As John Lennon reminded us, we can have it now if only we want it now.
#222 Forever!!
Pam Grout is the author of 21 books including E-Squared, E-Cubed, Thank and Grow Rich and her latest book, The Ego’s Playbook.
20 Responses
HAPPY NEW YEAR, PAM!!
Creation is great stuff! And thank you for sharing about the
“Mom Booth.” How cool is that!
Peace out!
Right? I loved the mom booth.
Thanks for this enchanting post! You inspire me all the time! I’m in a Possibility Posse thanks to you and Mike Dooley, for almost 3 years I believe. Happy 2026!
So cool about your posse! Happy 2026 to us all!
Thanks for the post and for sharing the video. Love it so much. Very inspiring.
What thank you!!! Very proud of Chloe!
Happy New Year! I love all the stuff your family made, and your grand-gal displaying all of it.
Lots of love and creation in the year ahead!
xox
Thanks! And to you, too, my dear Colorado buddy!
❤️❤️❤️
Hearts to you!
I also started reading ACIM on January 1. It is the first time for me. I am reading two books at the same time though. Your book The Course in Miracles Experiment makes it so much more fun. ✨❤️
Agreed! And fun always makes the learning better.
Dear Pam
I am reading your lastest book the ego’s playbook. Reminds me daily that the ego speaks first. Thank you for writing.
Sincerely
Marianne
Hi Marianne,
It’s different for sure. Not for everyone. But I enjoyed writing it.
Amazing. Thanks for sharing your insights with us.
Have a good year.
You, too, my friend!
Happy New Year! I have been trying to focus on more drawing and need to get better to make it a daily joy. Thank you for the reminder 🤗🤗🤗
It’s so freeing to know we can create something new. Yay! To Drawing!
I love this post! Thank you. We had not decided to make our gifts but our Christmas was indeed what we decided it to become. On Dec 23rd we lost power and for the next 5 days relied on our imaginations to create our holiday. Our beautiful lights that covered our tree were dark…So we decided to help them out. We hung flash lights and our little ones headbands that she loves to wear to school that light up on its branches. We had small tea light lanterns and added lots of candy canes. We played games that we made up that were so ridiculous we could not stop laughing. Not far away was a wonderful Chinese restaurant that opened for those without power. I can honestly say we made beauty out of ashes, lemonade out of lemons until day 5. We then were like…okay we need some power now and by mid afternoon there was light! Happy New Year to all…Lovingly, Kate in Carmel Ca
Thank you Pam. I love your New Year’s side goal of creating something new every day, even a doodle on an envelope! It sounds like a fun goal, and a delightful way of reminding yourself of how creative you truly are. I might borrow your side goal, along with your main goal of seeing without limits, or fear, or from the perspective of the past. The more of us seeing with eyes of love, the better for everyone. Here’s to a fun-filled, love-filled, peace-filled 2026 and beyond. 💖🕊️🥳