Stillness

Stillness

Very often my mind is so full and active it’s like New York City in there, churning and noisy, I have conversations with myself that often run me in circles.

At night, I’m tired, I go to bed, pull up the covers, and close my eyes and my brain says “YEA! No distractions it’s time to solve problems and wonder ‘why I did I say THAT to THEM’ or ‘why did I eat that for dinner?’ or ‘WHAT IF I CAN NEVER GET ON AN AIRPLANE AGAIN?!…” and on she goes. 

I do all sorts of things to distract myself to quiet my mind and find some stillness. 

I will begin with repetitions like “all is well, and I am well” or “the time to rest is now” and say it 20-30 times, just to get my mind to slow down.

Or, I’ll begin to say the Lord’s Prayer in my head until I find myself saying… “Our Father, who art in Heaven … hum, what I should cook for supper tomorrow?”.  Then I’ll stop and start over until I can say the entire prayer without distraction then I can begin to relax.  When I’m completely concentrating on 1 thing, only then does my brain slow down. Then I find stillness in my body and mind and my spirit can say “ahh, now it’s time to rest”.

Last night I started with the exercise by Tach Nihat Hahn 

“Breathing in my body is relaxed,

breathing out I smile. 

Breathing in I’m in the present moment.

Breathing out it is a beautiful moment.” 

I thought, “OK, I AM relaxed and it feels so nice”, then “why didn’t I speak up on that call yesterday, I could have said… OOPS, let me try this again: “I’m in this present moment, it IS a beautiful moment!” 

And I begin again with: “I’m safe, I’m in my home, in a comfy bed, listening to my beloved Steve breathing.  I’m healthy and this is the only moment I have any influence over. I am so grateful…I have so much to be grateful for…”. Then I begin to calm down.

Elizabeth Kubler Ross said: “Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself. And know that everything in life has a purpose”

When you find that still point in your life, the point of balance between action and quiet, there is where your power lies.  That is where Grace dwells. That is when you can find the sacred in the ordinary.

Create your moments of stillness and THEN take action.  Life requires both to be complete.

Remember, don’t forget to breathe, be kind to YOURSELF first, take life 1 minute, 1 hour, 1 day at a time, and get some sleep!

 Love and Light,