Quiet Moments

Some days I come with a blank page. Sitting in front of the fire, mesmerized by the movement, heat, colours and energies. The mind empties and I just absorb. The conscious is gone for rest. The subconscious takes over and fills up with the subtle nuances that we are normally too busy to notice. It may seem that we are accomplishing nothing - but in reality, this is the time we accomplish most. Most that is important. Touching deep inside and replenishing. Do not undervalue these moments. Do not brush them off as wasting precious time. THIS is the precious time to be most valued in life.

We have been so pushed to always be busy - make the most of every minute. Idly sitting around doing 'nothing' is scorned. Wasting precious time. "You only live once." they say. But, frankly, what is the point of living if you can't stay still long enough to appreciate any of it, nor to sit and plan the next best move? If we blindly dash from one thing to the next merely to cross them off the 'to do' list, we are not accomplishing much more than gaining bragging rights.

To my way of thinking, that doesn't give you much. No one is going to care, in the long run. Most will be too busy crossing their own things off their own list to pay any attention to yours.

If we take the time each day to sit and contemplate, (meditate if you wish, or not) it may surprise you what random thoughts pop into your mind; how much gets mentally sorted out; how the random chatter of monkey-mind quiets and retreats.

Flowers to Fire

But, even for me, a person who can easily lapse in to staring off into the void whilst contemplating the intricacies of life - or merely watching the pattern a raindrop makes as it rolls down my window - it is still a challenge. There are so many articles and prompts to 'Live your best life', or 'Be more productive', or 'Wake up each morning with a purpose'. Even though I know full well that some days my purpose is merely to finish that book I am reading, or spend some time at the water's edge watching the birds, there is a niggling in the back of my brain asking "What have you actually accomplished today?" to which I have to force myself to answer "I have connected with Mother Nature and I have made it worth that author's time to write that book".

I've recently strung together a few days off over the Christmas and New Years holidays, and before the time came along I had a long list of 'things' I could get done. Some were rather time consuming like get down on hands and knees and scrub the floor, or create the fabric and leather cover for a binder - but also some simple ones like taking a few things to storage to create some space here, and filing papers. Every morning I look at the list. Some mornings I haven't felt like doing any of them, and I don't - and yet I find many of them are getting done, somehow. Somewhere in between contemplating life and connecting with Nature I find a few minutes here and there that add up to items crossed off the list. It seems to me that the more time I spend relaxing and letting my mind rest, the quicker the other tasks get done because I am focused and my brain has already sorted out the steps that need to be taken.

I know that this works. I do it all the time. And yet, it is still a challenge for me to find the balance. When I am contemplating things I feel the urge to be accomplishing. When I am accomplishing things I feel a resistance to 'doing'. It's like standing in the middle of the teeter-totter and trying to keep both ends from hitting the ground and sending you off balance. It's a very special kind of self torture.