It's only October

Someone asked me about scheduling a meeting, and they said, "It's only October."
I immediately replied, "What?! Are you kidding? You mean it's already October!"
So much is in my point of view. When my cup is running over, and not with love but with appointments, I seem to watch the calendar slip out from underneath me like a throw rug on a slippery floor.
Ouch!  I just know I am going to wake up and it will be November. Then Spring. Then....
Wait a minute. I am rushing my days rather than savoring them. I am living not only tomorrow, but a year from Christmas. Do you know what I mean?
I want to learn to savor each day. I want to feel that fall breeze slipping into my window and welcome it. I want to truly notice this hour and this day.  Will you join me in that?

Work and play

For those of us transitioning into new jobs, the "busy" meter seems to crank up a notch. I thought I was busy before!

My daughter reminds me to think about the busy mother who works full time, goes to classes at night, and helps her three kids with homework.

Whether you are currently busy or not, chances are that you know someone busier than you are.  Does this encourage you to keep going when your energy level is diminishing?  It certainly keeps me from complaining about my full life.

If I could offer encouragement to every busy person, it would be this: find time to play.
We can't constantly perform well with our metaphorical meters cranked up to their highest levels all of the time.

What does play look like for you?
A book, a bath, a walk at the zoo? Time with friends or time alone? Whatever it is, be sure that you schedule an appointment for play, and keep it as if it were an appointment for a performance review with your new boss.

What inspires you to awe?

Oh, the healing, transformative power of a floral bouquet!

I begin to speed past it in the market, and suddenly freeze. I make a u-turn and take a few slow steps backward so that I can see it again.

“Ahhh” I can’t help saying.

Look at the artistic drama of the purples, yellows and whites! Each flower is so different, yet together they inspire awe.

What causes you to stop dead in your tracks and proclaim the beauty? There must be something. Several things must, if you are paying attention to the world around you. Ah, but there is the tricky part, isn’t it? How do we avoid rushing past beauty? How do we allow ourselves a pause to notice, and then to gasp. Who are we to be in the presence of such wonder? Or to paraphrase Nelson Mandela, who are we not to be? 

It is our duty to ourselves to stop, and really see what would call forth a reaction in us of childlike discovery.

“Buy the bouquet!” my husband proclaims. Oh I mustn’t. It is frivolous to spend money on something that won’t last.

Ah, but nothing lasts in this world. All thing pass, and change.

My husband buys me the bouquet.  And my momentary delight now travels with me as I leave the market with beauty in my grasp.

Is life so serious that I cannot allow myself a breather to cherish something lovely? My heart wells up in gratitude for a husband who understands better than I do my need to prolong these experiences of joyful amazement.

I carry beauty with me. 

As I remove the cellophane at home, I have an urge to go work in the garden, even though the tasks are ugly—pruning, clearing away debris, mulching, sweeping and weeding. The bouquet inspires me that the work I do now will generate more blossoms like the ones  now royally ensconced indoors.

They have inspired hope.

I forgot what I want

How many of us know what we really want?
Advertising gives us lots of ideas of what we "should" want; but each of us has a desire deep down inside—  a burning desire for something. What is it?

Is it to be loved? Is it to contribute to the common good? Is it to have a vacation in Paris? Is it to have physical health into old age?
And are our actions in sync with those desires?

How much time do you spend in a week thinking about your deepest desire? If you are like me, it is something slightly below your conscious consideration.
If you do nothing else today, take a full minute—60 seconds— in a very quiet place, and ask yourself what you most want. What do you most desire?
It is something nice to know. It will help you choose what activities you to today.

Do you have a minute?

The day in the office starts as usual: phone ringing, messages waiting attention on the desk, and deadlines looming.  You know that the tasks needing to be completed exceed the eight and a half hours you plan to work today.

Suddenly, a friend calls with startling news and a major life crisis. He needs a listening ear.  "Do you have a minute?" he asks and you know that the minute will turn into half an hour. What do you do?
Most of us would not say, "Sorry, I have all these projects I need to complete. Call me later." We would offer the listening ear that our friend so critically needs.

Life calls for split-second decisions. Some must be made on the fly. Others allow us to invest some forethought. Either way, choices speak to our deeply held priorities. Many of us act upon core beliefs without thinking about or naming them. For example, the person who pushes back the chair and closes the door holds a deep belief that "friends come first."

The person who promises to call the friend back at the end of the work day might hold the deep value that work takes precedence over personal issues. Perhaps the employee promised something to coworkers and now feels keenly responsible.  Inner conflict occurs when competing values demand attention, or when we ignore our deep inner beliefs.

When we choose actions that dishonor these ingrained values, we feel stress. Life imposes the values of others on us, and we feel pressured to choose by someone else's set of beliefs. That is where we get in trouble.If we are too busy to even know our deepest desires, it is difficult to act upon them.

Peace of mind can be found in spending some quiet time, away from distractions, thinking about your deeply held priorities. It helps to write them down.  Seeing them is also different from hearing them. Let them sit a day or two and return to them. Were you truly honest with yourself? Do the day-to-day choices you make for spending your time belie your deepest values?

Stretch yourself

I keep hearing the benefits of exercise from a wide range of sources. It can ward off everything from heart disease and diabetes to hypertension and stress. So why is it so difficult to put exercise into a daily routine? Perhaps it is because it offers one more thing I have to do when life is already speeding along with a thousand other demands.
I picked up a free app last week at Starbucks for "Pocket Yoga" with a great image of someone enjoying a superior stretch.  Now if I could just find the time to download the app.
Maybe I will get to it after my walk. 
People in my neighborhood look at me funny because I like to book-walk. I combine a beloved hobby— reading— with much needed exercise. Yes, I sometimes clonk my head on a low-hanging tree branch, but I have learned to keep an eye out just above the printed page for uneven sidewalks. Some people consider me a danger to others as I stride along with a nose in an interesting novel. Who knows what obstacle I might encounter.
Those of us wrapped up in busy lives sometimes take risks as we multitask.
What other solutions do busy people use to combine something they enjoy with something that is yet another "have to do"?

On fire

What are you on fire about? In California fire season is well underway. High temperatures combined with drought conditions exacerbate the situation. Firefighters are busy!
Think about flames for a minute. They can be out of control or they can also be valuable tools for roasting marshmallows or lighting a dark cabin.
Each person has a fire inside that fuels emotions which may at times get out of hand. Harnessed, the fires of our passions give impetus for fighting injustices.
May today you find illumination as you examine what burns within you.