"Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it". Ferris Bueller.
Ah. Love Ferris Bueller and that quote in particular.
Pausing to take a look around, see where you are and maybe see how far you've come? And in these crazy times? Maybe pausing to check in with yourself and realize that this "temporary" situation is lasting longer than many of us thought it might. Perhaps it's time to stop wishing for and waiting until you fill in the blank here... because while you're wishing for and waiting until whatever that thing or situation is, you are missing the very thing, the only thing as a matter of fact, that matters, which is the present moment. Where you are right now.
I am just as guilty as everyone else on this front. Yes! Even people whose profession it is to know these things can slide and I may even argue that we can be guilty of this more than others. Kind of like the shoe maker's kids who have no shoes, people in the "helping" professions often put themselves last on their list. Lucky for me I have several truth tellers in my life who call me out on this behaviour. Doing doing doing... until the overwhelm hits. Then I am forced to take the pause. It's definitely a learning curve. Practice, Fail, Learn, Forgive and Repeat.
How about you? How do you ensure that you take a pause?
Once again I refer to my meditation practice. This morning I was doing a live meditation on the app that I use. When the meditation guide asked people to indicate how they were feeling here were some of the words that came up repeatedly: exhausted, overwhelmed, anxious, cloudy, confused, messy, frustrated, resentful...and the list went on.
It was the wake up call for me to put out this blog today. I wanted to acknowledge all of you and remind you that nothing is permanent. Nothing. While it may be difficult to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Rest assured that it's there.
So my message today is simple and maybe not easy. Take some time for your breath. Even a minute makes a difference. Deeply inhaling and exhaling with a pause at the top of the breath and the bottom of the breath. I promise you, if you do this in the morning before the day gets away on you, you WILL notice a difference in how your day unfolds.
And, by the way for those of you who are curious, at the end of the meditation the guide asked how everyone was feeling and the words had shifted. Calm, ready for my day, less anxious, more clear.... This sh*t works!
So back to you my friends. Let that breath work for you. In those moments before you get out of bed, when you brush your teeth, prepare your coffee or tea....these little steps will make a difference.
Stay well.
Warmly,
Ann
