An Unexpected Gift
A cheerful Hello from the south -- Florida to be more exact. I'm currently doing my east coast shuffle again. With friends and family all along the eastern seaboard, I find myself on Rt 95 somewhat frequently. This trip is to celebrate my dad's 94th birthday! He's quite independent and even tripped up his neurologist during a recent visit by getting ahead of all the "brain evaluation" questions! I love how he models aging as being full of possibilities.
This week's Seed ...
"Instead of getting upset because you have to wait,
see if you can see it as the gift of unexpected
time that you've been wanting so badly."
... is something I'm pretty sure I've written about before, but it struck me on some of my travels how many people are in a hurry most of the time. I also hear how much we all want more downtime. This brings to mind a couple of things:
just like you really can't count on "finding time to exercise sometime today" -- you've got to schedule it in, we have to be responsible for creating breaks and "time off", and at the same time,
look for the gifts the Universe offers up during the day, like a "pause", break, or a little time out.
We've been conditioned to believe that it's better if we're usually on the go. Many things in our lives have been altered to accommodate convenience so we can cram more activities in a day. Not only does this have the potential to raise our anxiety level, it often negatively contributes to our health. For example, if we are no longer getting in and out of our cars and walking because of drive-throughs, we're missing out on an opportunity to exercise which can lead to chronic metabolic disease, joint pain, mood and sleep issues, and even digestive problems, to name just a few.
I've watched people get agitated while waiting in line as if life isn't happening the way it's supposed to. Actually, this is one of those golden opportunities. Let everything slow down inside of you. Watch your breaths go in and out and see if you can breathe through your nose and get calmer. Take a minute to be grateful for the fact that you can wait for something you want and/or need and then express gratitude for something else. Instead of reaching for your phone and raising your stress level by checking texts or social media, simply notice where you are and maybe smile or say "hi" to someone next to you. They'll probably not respond in kind right away, however you might help them start to shift how they look at the world in a more positive way. As you get more comfortable with this shift, you'll start to get better feedback and acknowledgement.
Life does not have to be at a frenetic pace all the time. In fact, rarely do we need to participate in life as if it's a high-speed chase. What are we pursuing? Let all the goodness and joy come to you. Usually anything you run after keeps running away from you. Slow down, take it easy and notice what starts to come your way -- this is what I wish for you.
Having trouble putting on the brakes? Contact me and I'll help you find 3 ways to relax.
Sparkles and Love,
