How might your life be different if, when you felt time pressing in on you, there were a place to go where you were allowed to simply be? If, as you sat down silently, there were a sense of the presence of other women breathing in the stillness...waiting quietly with you?
And if you watched the dappled shadows on the ground around you as the wind suddenly stilled...and you entered a new sense of time, of time stretching out before you?
And you knew that there would finally be time enough for you....
How might your life be different?
~Judith Duerk
This month I am enjoying my annual summer break in Northern New York with my family on Lake Ontario. It is a much needed respite from the heat of Florida and our normal everyday routines. I have to admit, daily life with two elementary aged children is anything but restful and relaxing. By the end of the school year I feel like a worn out marathoner pushing through the last 5 miles. Our days are dictated by the demands of tight time schedules, homework, school functions and extracurricular activities. I am practically ground to a pulp by our daily grind by the time June finally sets us free.
My first week here I slept more than I was awake and I allowed my internal rhythms to set the pace for activity and rest throughout the day. I began to feel restored by the fresh air, lake swims and slowing down. By the second week I felt myself settled enough to unpack. I don't just mean my suitcases. Everyday I focus on letting something go. Weeks before arriving here, I could feel myself saturated and in need of some inner housecleaning. I sensed the accumulation of thoughts and feelings that were ready for release but I had neither the necessary time nor conducive space to let go. I knew that when I finally got to this place, I would be able to safely unload. Each morning I enjoy the simple ritual of sitting by the edge of the lake to listen for what is surfacing that can be released. I throw a rock into the water to symbolize the letting go.
My intention now is simple: find rest.
It's not glossy, glamorous or sexy. It's not what we admire people for--their incredible ability to do nothing and let everything happen. Quite frankly, I think we are afraid of stopping for too long. We are afraid of missing out, falling behind, being forgotten, feeling insignificant or completely taken over by inertia. We most often equate our personal value with what we accomplish and produce rather than remembering our inherent worthiness as a human being.
How can I do less and be more? How can I trust the experience of true rest inside whatever I'm doing?
Before I know it a new school year will begin and we'll be thrust back into our rigorous routine, but for now I'm savoring free time and the deep nourishment of stillness.
How about you? Do you have a special place where you can go to find rest and stillness? Where can you safely and easily release and recalibrate? This month carve out some space, beyond the pressures of time, to let your weary body and heart rest.
