MOTIVATION MONDAYS
I'm one of those rare people who finds beauty in the starkness of winter. While I love the brisk air and the scents and colors of autumn, it doesn't last long, and I'm left with something close to the picture on the left. There are only a few remnants of the leaves that are still barely hanging on. The year is doing much the same thing. It's speeding right along to the end, ready to begin again on January 1.
It's a hectic time of year, these days between Halloween and New Year's Day. Women, especially, are faced with the dilemma of finding enough time to do it all. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, that can be eased by using KISS and delegating. This year, I discovered that there seemed to be only a blink of an eye between Halloween and Thanksgiving, when in reality it was a full two weeks. I suspect I'll feel the same when looking back to Thanksgiving from Christmas. As it is, life seems to move fast, and age makes it seem to go even faster.
Between now and the first of the year, we'll be running at top speed, hampering any thoughts other than those connected to menus, recipes gifts, decorations, cards, and all the rest of the trimmings of the holidays. There are so many things on our lists of things to do that we forget to take a moment for ourselves or even to breathe. But we can do something about that. In fact, we need to do something.
It's a hectic time of year, these days between Halloween and New Year's Day. Women, especially, are faced with the dilemma of finding enough time to do it all. As I mentioned in a previous blog post, that can be eased by using KISS and delegating. This year, I discovered that there seemed to be only a blink of an eye between Halloween and Thanksgiving, when in reality it was a full two weeks. I suspect I'll feel the same when looking back to Thanksgiving from Christmas. As it is, life seems to move fast, and age makes it seem to go even faster.
Between now and the first of the year, we'll be running at top speed, hampering any thoughts other than those connected to menus, recipes gifts, decorations, cards, and all the rest of the trimmings of the holidays. There are so many things on our lists of things to do that we forget to take a moment for ourselves or even to breathe. But we can do something about that. In fact, we need to do something.
- Turn off the TV that blares Buy This! every fifteen minutes. Try it for 10 minutes. Try it for 30.
- Take a walk and let your mind wander to anything but the have to do's.
- Daydream. And if you don't remember how, it's time to relearn.
- Put on some music, either soothing or upbeat, whichever makes you smile.
- Start a journal...or morning pages à la The Artist's Way.
- Start a Blessing Box or Thankful Jar.
- Meditate or learn how to meditate (There are free guided meditations online, just do a search for them.)
- Breathe and breathe again.
We have a new dog, something I said I'd never do again, but this one desperately needed a new home. So Max, the Pekingnese, has become part of our family. Either my daughter or I take him outside several times a day. One of the things I've noticed as I stand in the backyard is that I can hear the leaves falling. Yes, really hear them drop from the trees and hit the ground beneath. And yet I know that in the spring they'll be replaced by a new growth of buds that will begin the cycle of life, once again. It's humbling.
Take some time to breathe and enjoy a few quiet moments of this special time of year. Stop and listen to your inner silence. Doing so will not only help you find peace in chaos, but possibly a moment of joyous illumination in your life.
We need quiet time to examine our lives openly and honestly - spending quiet time alone gives your mind an opportunity to renew itself and create order. ~ Susan Taylor
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