It’s Monday, and my body/mind/spirit doesn’t care that today is a “work” day. I’m tired. My body is sore from a heavy workout on Saturday and a long hike on Sunday, actually I feel depleted.
So I decide to obey this energetic downturn and lie down on the couch, call a friend, eat some chocolate, take a slow walk around the Madrona Marsh and while there stop to watch the bees as they lollygag around a flowering bush; and right now while sitting at my desk writing you this note, there’s a monarch butterfly prancing, dancing, and showing-off outside my office window. What a tease.
There are days when you absolutely must get the report done, help your mother with the grocery shopping, or feed the baby, and you need to push through the weariness and fatigue. But when you do this too often, when you push yourself beyond exhaustion on a regular basis you are not living in harmony with yourself.
Everyone who comes to a meditation class or wisdom retreat wants balance, harmony, peace, and joy…and yes, calming the mind will go a long way to producing these results, but true balance comes from…
…listening to the sweet rhythm of your own nature.
No one can do this for you. There will always be demands on your time and energy, and it is up to you to set the boundaries and say, “No, not today.”
I know what you’re thinking, “But if I don’t do it, then no one will.” I’m going to challenge that thought with these two questions, “Who set it up that way? And for what purpose?” Hmmm.
If you can’t take the whole day, you can take three minutes for yourself. Go and find a quiet place to sit, close your eyes, take three “ha” breaths, and ask yourself, “What do I most need?” Let the answer rise up from within….is it a five minute break, a glass of water, a good meal, a hug? Do you need a vacation, to have a meaningful conversation, or read a good book?
My friend, if you don’t take the time to listen you’ll miss the beauty and the joy of the moment. If you wait too long, you’ll miss your life.
Yours in Love and Light,
Krista