There are so many wonderful things to do, be and have in this life space of ours. It is easy to become overwhelmed trying to do, be and have it all.
I was speaking with a friend last night who recognized that the perfect rhythm of her life is to have an experience and then have lots of time to digest it—to get the full nourishment that is available from the event, interaction or particular state of being that was created.
With so many possibilities, it is easy to say yes to too many things and to not take the time needed to digest. When this happens, we are often left hungry, unfilled. And so we add in more and more activities, only to still feel hungry.
When we pause to ask “What truly feeds me, holds meaning for me, feels like time well spent that brings pleasure, fulfillment and/or growth?” we are no longer walking lock step to a cultural beat that says more and bigger are better, and what we have to sell to you is what you ought to want. It is easy to fall into a trance from the barrage of influences, not only culturally, but familial and social as well, coming at us twenty-four seven.
By stepping out of this milieu and asking the deeper questions, we develop an intimacy with ourselves that can be quite profound and leaves us feeling loved, supported and nurtured.
We start to tune into the longing in our hearts that has often been buried by all of the outside voices, and instead begin to hear the still, small voice inside that is very clear about what would nourish and fulfill us—and often it has nothing to do with shopping or incessant activity.
And this, as with so much in our lives, requires courage. Courage to take a stand for what is important and for what holds meaning for us, and then the courage to live our lives accordingly. Baby steps help—the more we reorient in the direction of our needs and wants, of what we truly in our deeper heart want to do, be and have, the stronger and more able we are to keep going in that direction.
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