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Tag: living deeply

  • Waiting to Live?

    Waiting to Live?

    When the occasional social media post tugs at something inside of me I make a note of it in my journal, and reflect on it a little further. One such post was titled ‘5 Reasons you might be waiting for your life to start’, by Elisabeth Corey. While Elisabeth’s focus is on recovery from trauma, there is some truth in this for all of us. Too often something in our past hold us back from living in the present.  Perhaps, not trauma from childhood; but, it may be something that happened last year or even yesterday that stops us truly living today. Meanwhile, we exist while we dwell on these things of the past. As Corey highlights, the problem is we wait for someone to apologise, someone to release us, someone to give us permission, for everything to be perfect or for peace to reign.  We are waiting to live.

    Of course, this doesn’t apply only to those living in the past. It can also apply to those living in the future.  We joke when I win the lotto, when I lose these surplus kilos, or find the perfect partner…then I will start living!  It’s like watching the clock for finish time and missing what is happening right now. Or, thinking about what you will say to someone else in the future and ignore the person chatting away beside you.  Crazy hey!

    Before we know it we have existed for most of our earthly lives, and never really lived it.  Sure, you were there in your body, but where was your mind or your soul, at the time?  I should know this as it required piecing together a photo collage, or album, to relive moments of my past; and realising I was present there in body only.  Where was I at the time?  No doubt wishing that something was different or better.  As the saying goes, ‘Be careful, less you wish your life away!’

    Living in the present is the mantra of modern-day mindfulness. There is growing evidence that practicing mindfulness reduces stress and anxiety; so, it is good for both body and soul. This practice involves consciously becoming aware of what is happening inside and outside of one self, without judgement.  While linked to Buddhism, mindfulness is not exclusive to this eastern religion. Nowadays, there is also a form devoid of all religion. Mindfulness, in the form of meditation and contemplation, is also found on the ancient Christian path.

    The Christian version looks a lot like, ‘Be still, and know I am God’ (Psalm 46:10). It is acknowledging that despite chaos and uncertainty, we can find a God given stillness and peace. By opening up we make space for God. In this space we have the ability to hear from Him and find the grace to obey His word.  Mindfulness is not an end in itself but a way forward. Living in the present is not to discount the past, or refuse to consider the future.  It is choosing to respond to the life that is in the here and now.

    The process of being still allows us to capture those swirling and anxious thoughts, and allow God’s mind – the mind of Christ, to bring forgiveness and truth, healing and wholeness – today.  As Richard Foster says, this is not about emptying our mind, but rather filling it.  Rather than detachment from our life, it is an attachment to God and a redirection of our lives. Of course, this is not always a comfortable space.  Keeping God at arm’s length, or leaving him out of the whole mindfulness exercise, is to live life on our own terms.   Some of us would much rather hold onto grudges, blame others for our failure to take responsibility, wait for a perfect tomorrow, or attempt to forget everything; rather than do what God is asking us to do now – living in His presence. As Richard Foster says in Celebration of Discipline, ‘the aim is to bring this living reality into all of life’.

    What if the difference between existing and living, is not emptying our minds of everything- past, present and future; but, rather filling our minds with the presence of the living God and allowing Him to transform us with His love?  Foster explains that we can do this several ways; attentiveness to God through stillness and silence, by meditating on Scripture, or by meditating on creation. It is in the ‘listening, sensing, (and) heeding the light and life of Christ’ that we find the ability to truly live our life today.  So, what are we waiting for?  Our yesterdays, nor our tomorrows, need not hold us back from living life today. We can do this with God’s help and in His presence.

    Photo by S Migaj on Unsplash

    References:

    Corey, Elisabeth. 5 Reasons You Might be Waiting for Your Life to Start. Jun 6, 2018. https://beatingtrauma.com/2018/06/06/5-reasons-you-might-be-waiting-for-your-life-to-start/?fbclid=IwAR0Ak49X5S0nij4hlz1gkxCtdtaVndl2fWORQwDYUafxEJWpQtd3tIwq9hE

    Foster, Richard J. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988.

  • A life lived slowly and deeply…

    A life lived slowly and deeply…

    It is February 2020 already.  January is gone. I am back to work and this week I have another birthday that is moving me further away from middle age- and to old age.  ‘Normally’ and by now, my goals for the new year and the new me would have been printed and posted somewhere I could read and action daily.  For reasons I am only now defining, I have put off creating this list.  That seems so out character for me. 

    I discipline myself to first go back over 2019 instead and list the highlights and the challenges. With sadness, I realise another year has passed and it feels like I have skimmed over the surface of life without living deep enough.  In spite of my activity and achievements, I have lost more than I have gained in the process. 

    Take my health, for instance.  I started off last year with good habits that were rewarded with improvement in my health and weight. But there came a tipping point, when an overloaded adrenal system upset all my hormones and progress.  Doing more was not the answer. Doing less was, but it was also so counterintuitive, especially when I was in the habit of pushing myself for so long.   

    And then there is my creativity.  For those of you that read my blog regularly, you will notice how little I have written in the past six months.  I am very aware of this. I can do analytical any old day, but my ability to express myself creatively seems to be squeezed out when life is reactive and seemingly frantic and shallow.

    I suspect that this year, is a year to shed some of those good things that are making me too busy to experience life deeply.   My preoccupation with ticking boxes and kicking goals has gotten out of hand.  I forgot how to live in the moment.  As I rush onto the next thing, I find myself shovelling food into my mouth. If I am going to slow down, perhaps I can start by chewing and tasting my food instead.   Instead of cramming in another workout, perhaps I would be better off pausing enough to breathe deeply. 

    I have book on my bookshelf called ‘’In Praise of Slowness: Challenging the Cult of Speed”. The author Carl Honore challenges us by pointing out human’s history of speed and efficiency. He identifies the benefits of a slower paced lifestyle.  “The great benefit of slowing down is reclaiming the time and tranquility to make meaningful connections–with people, with culture, with work, with nature, with our own bodies and minds.”

     If this year is going to be different to last year, I will have to forgo much of my speed and efficiency that I have spent decades perfecting. If I am to live life slowly and deeply, I wonder can I to do that without making lists and setting goals?

    Photo by Pablo Orcaray @pborcaray on Unsplash.com