“Mom! Are you OKAY?” my daughter asked me in a panic.
I am not bleeding, crying, or applying an ice pack to anything.
However, I can see why she is so worried.
After all, I am sitting on the couch, and it’s mid-afternoon.
What the heck is going on around here?
That was then.
I never sat down. Not even to eat an entire meal. There was always something. Laundry, dishes, dogs needing to be let in or out. Shopping for dinner, cooking dinner, cleaning up after dinner. Making an alternate dinner for someone who fussed about the original dinner. Sorting through backpacks, checking homework, signing permission slips, refereeing arguments. Making beds, picking up, picking up, picking up. Wiping, washing, sorting.
Never sitting.
This is now.
I wake up, grab a coffee and my latest book, sit in my big comfy chair with my dogs and read.
No texts or emails. Just a hot cup of my favorite thing, words on pages that inspire or entertain, and a lap full of love.
It doesn’t sound like much, and I hate to admit it, but it took me over 40 years to learn to enjoy this guilt-free moment.
I deserve it.
So do you.
But please, don’t put it off for 40 years.
The art of being still doesn’t take skill.
It takes will.
Don’t make this more complicated than it is.
Back in the day, I was a self-proclaimed master of muli-tasking. There was not one thing I did without a side activity.
For example, a conversation on the phone was always coupled with something. Eating a meal. Driving my car. Going for a run.
So, I never really savored my food. Or remembered the trip. Or thoroughly enjoyed the endorphins.
One day I decided I didn’t want to feel anxious, unfulfilled, or strung out anymore. I wondered if I did less, would I feel more?
Yes.
In slowing down, I’ve been able to soak up more.
If you quickly wiped a dry sponge over a spill, it would only absorb so much. But if you let the sponge sit, it will draw up all it can hold.
We go through life so rushed and distracted that we miss the sounds and smells around us and the thoughts and feelings within us.
If you are high octane like me, you might need to remind yourself to slow down and be still. Here are a few words I say to myself that help me downshift.
Breathe. Let it go. Notice. Sit. Do it later. Listen. Relax. Exhale. Be present. Put it down. Put it away. Not now. One thing at a time.
Have you noticed how quickly the weekends go by?
It’s because we are doing something every minute.
Get more out of every day. Get more out of life.
Slow down. Be still. Less is more. No one can do this for you.
Try it.
