Tis the season for the hustle and bustle of our lives to be in full gear. Holiday time suggests that we run around on our free time and shop, wait in long lines for the latest gadget and be in motion.
This act of constantly “doing” can bear weight on us with the pressure to keep up as our bodies and mind ask us to please slow down.
We do our best, plopping down at the end of the day or finding a relaxing moment for a tea break and chat. We may find our minds are in disarray and that we have a hard time concentrating or staying focused; as if the purpose to our lives has suddenly taken a side step.
To bring a bit of redirecting it is helpful to take a moment from the movement and trajectory of our day and sit back in mindful contemplation. Allow our bodies to regenerate and give our minds a chance to find some familiarity with what our intentions are.
To do so, art, literature and music can be a wonderful tool to give us inspirational thoughts. If we begin or end with a question about our lives upon reading or listening to a tune, we may find we have received a welcomed idea worth our time and supportive of our direction.
Poetry- There is a wonderful line in a poem I read recently. The poem is about how we direct our energy and what we leave to the unknown. The line suggests focusing on what you can see and leaving the rest to unfold as it may. The idea that our focus can bear fruit if we direct it properly.
This speaks to me of the importance of trusting that what I am doing is encouraging me in a good direction and as long as I keep this in mind the rest will come in its careful laid time. This lifts the burden off of my shoulders to always have a plan in place that is beyond what I feel I can manage at any given time. It also opens up the opportunity to be creative with my energies. I concluded reading this asking myself- Is what I am doing today supportive of where I am at now?
Film- I watched a film about a Muslim man and a Jewish woman who find themselves in love. The film centers on their relationship as a means of challenging the stereotypes each of them have for one another’s culture. The hope I interpreted from the film is that we may find ourselves seeing their relationship as a symbolic gesture of what can be, the opportunity that comes when we lay down our prejudices.
I found myself challenged recently with my own ideas about race and culture and how I may find my way to understanding. I concluded watching this asking myself-What can I do to become a voice within my community for unity?
These are two examples of how I found myself taking a step back from the momentum of all that is around us during this season and finding a place of center. It is a healthy act of being “conscious” to myself and to others and this makes me feel particularly happy to be alive.
Perhaps there is a book or film you have been reading or a piece of art you have been meaning to make that can invite you to mindful reflection. Absorb yourself in this invitation to reflect and find the healthy balance this can bring to your day.
This is after all what the spirit of the season is meant to convey- our renewed sense of gratitude and love for all that we share together.
In health,
Safara
