Unplug and Sigh

If you've never heard of or read anything by her, I highly recommend you look up Anne Lamott. She's an American author and the agency that handles her speaking engagements sums her up perfectly:

Anne Lamott writes and speaks about subjects that begin with capital letters: Alcoholism, Motherhood, Jesus. But armed with self-effacing humor – she is laugh-out-loud funny – and ruthless honesty, Lamott converts her subjects into enchantment.

I like pretty much anything Anne writes, but this week's Monday Quote from her really spoke to me:

"Almost everything will work again

if you unplug it for a few minutes,

including you."

And my comment to that was:

"Aaah, the lusciousness of unplugging."

With all our electronics these days, it does seem as though shutting them down, letting them rest for a few minutes and then plugging them back in solves the occasional problem of them not working. I don't know how or why that works, but in my head I associate human characteristics to these objects and I see the device relaxing and then gearing up to get going again.

We may not have electric cords attached to our bodies (yet!), however we certainly have connections that can feel like they're wearing us down. For example, most of us have cell phones with us 24 hours a day. Technically, that means that we can be reached or interrupted at any given time. It means that we are open to intrusions all the time, actually invasions of our privacy. Without even realizing it, we are inviting another layer of stress into our already demanding lives. Just knowing that our phones might beep, whistle, chime or play our favorite tune at any given moment keeps us on hyper alert. Is it any wonder than we have headaches, heart palpitations, and elevated anxiety levels?

There's an easy way to address this ... UNPLUG. Let me tell you what this might look like. Imagine that you shut off your tv, radio, music source, and you leave your phone on the kitchen counter (gasp!). Now picture yourself walking barefoot on a quiet beach or taking a gentle hike through the woods or being in a meadow. How about a 90-minute message with nothing but the soothing sound of a gently bubbling fountain in the background or even a bath in a deep tub scented with your favorite fragrance. Maybe there's a quiet museum or gallery where you can wander or sit and gaze at beautiful art. Perhaps you know of a meditation center or even a chapel that makes you feel like you are enveloped in comforting silence, softer and more soothing than a cashmere blanket. Are you catching my drift?

I truly believe that we are not meant to be assaulted every minute of every day by outside noise and interference, in fact I know it isn't healthy and I think you know it, too. At some point we're just going to have to shut down, so before that happens, before you "short-circuit", start putting unplugged time into your calendar. In fact, make a beautiful Do Not Disturb sign that you can pull out when necessary and then rest, regroup, and recharge. This is what I wish for you.

Sparkles and Love,