Women at Rest

There is Today and Only Today

Sufficient to today are the duties of today.
Don’t waste life in doubts and fears;
spend yourself on the work before you;
well assured that the right performance of this hour’s duties
will be the best preparation.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

Photo by petitshoo.

The Password is No

I'm exhausted. Again. July was extremely busy with travel and socializing, and I'm still recuperating. I'm also still acclimating my time and energy to being in a relationship. Like it or not, my energy reserves (physical, mental and emotional) aren't what they used to be. I tire out very, very easily. I have always -- my entire life -- needed LOTS of downtime, lots of quiet, lots of rest. This is not always easy for those wired differently to understand and / or accept, and the ironic part is how much time / energy it takes to explain, remind, etc.

I'm extremely sensitive to energy, and although it might not always be apparent, I'm an introvert. Being with people wears me out, sometimes even people I love most. Loud raucousness wears me out. I'm not complaining at all, this is who I am and how I was created.

Since my goddaughter left, I've been more tired than usual. Leftover fatigue from July, I think. I feel like an empty tank of gas, filling up 1/8 tank then running back down to empty. Last week I went to dinner when I was already tired and the next day I battled body aches. I'm PMSing (requiring even more downtime and rest) and last night I went to a loudish meeting then a loudish birthday party that was more high-energy than I could handle. Today I'm paying for it.

I need to pay attention. I need to take care of my body (and the rest of me).

So I've decided to go on a social hiatus. For the next two weeks, I'm not doing anything or going anywhere that even MIGHT deplete my energy. (In all honesty it probably needs to extend longer than two weeks.) People are going to be disappointed -- *I'm* going to be disappointed -- and that's OK. My busy work season is just around the corner, and health-wise I can't afford to enter it tired much less utterly drained.

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Love Does That by Meister Eckhart

All day long a little burro labors, sometimes
with heavy loads on her back and sometimes just with worries
about things that bother only
burros.

And worries, as we know, can be more exhausting
than physical labor.

Once in a while a kind monk comes
to her stable and brings
a pear, but more
than that,

he looks into the burro's eyes and touches her ears

and for a few seconds the burro is free
and even seems to laugh,

because love does
that.

Love frees.

Staying Grounded in a Big City or Busy World

 

Silas the Dobie practicing #10

From DailyOM

1. Live simply and live deliberately. By choosing not to get caught up in the details of this fast-paced world, you are doing your part to slow down the pace. You will also discover that you have more time to enjoy being alive.

2. Stay in touch with yourself. Soul searching, meditation, and journaling are just a few of the many activities you can take part in to stay aware and learn as much as you can about your emotions, reactions, likes, dislikes, dreams, and fears. Having a solid sense of self gives you a firm foundation for living in this world.

3. Support or teach others as often as you can. This can help you form connections with people while also giving you an opportunity to make the world a better place.

4. Consciously choose what you will allow into your being. The media bombards us with visions of hate, war, and pain. Be judicious about what you read, watch, and listen to.

5. Acknowledge the beauty that resides around you. Whether you live in a sprawling metropolis or a stereotypical suburb, there are natural and man-made wonders just waiting to be discovered by you.

6. Nurture your ties to your tribe. If you don’t have one, create a community that you can belong to. Modern life can be isolating. When you have a tribe, you have a circle that you are a part of. Its members -- loved ones, friends, or neighbors -- can be a source of support, caring, guidance, and companionship.

7. See the larger picture. Remember that the way that you choose to live is not the only way to live. Widen your perspective by exploring other modes of being through research, travel, and discussion.

8. Embrace the challenges that life presents to you, and challenge yourself often. After a time, even the most exciting jobs or lifestyles can seem routine. Never stop assimilating new knowledge about whatever you are doing, and your life will never seem dull.

9. Move your body. In this busy world, it can be easy to live a sedentary life. Movement reacquaints us with our bodies and connects us to the earth in a visceral way. It also restores our vitality.

10. Make time for stillness, silence, and solitude. The world can be noisy, and we are subject to all kinds of noises nearly every waking hour. We are also often "on the go" and unable to relax. Being alone in a peaceful place and making time for quiet can help you stay in touch with yourself.

Sweet Darkness by David Whyte

When your eyes are tired
the world is tired also.

When your vision has gone
no part of the world can find you.

Time to go into the dark
where the night has eyes
to recognize its own.

There you can be sure
you are not beyond love.

The dark will be your womb
tonight.

The night will give you a horizon
further than you can see.

You must learn one thing.
The world was made to be free in.

Give up all the other worlds
except the one to which you belong.

Sometimes it takes darkness and the sweet
confinement of your aloneness
to learn

anything or anyone

that does not bring you alive
is too small for you.

~David Whyte

What's In The Temple? by Tom Barrett

In the quiet spaces of my mind a thought lies still, but ready to spring.
It begs me to open the door so it can walk about.
The poets speak in obscure terms pointing madly at the unsayable.
The sages say nothing, but walk ahead patting their thigh calling for us to follow.
The monk sits pen in hand poised to explain the cloud of unknowing.
The seeker seeks, just around the corner from the truth.
If she stands still it will catch up with her.
Pause with us here a while.
Put your ear to the wall of your heart.
Listen for the whisper of knowing there.
Love will touch you if you are very still.

If I say the word God, people run away.
They've been frightened--sat on 'till the spirit cried "uncle."
Now they play hide and seek with somebody they can't name.
They know he's out there looking for them, and they want to be found,
But there is all this stuff in the way.

I can't talk about God and make any sense,
And I can't not talk about God and make any sense.
So we talk about the weather, and we are talking about God.

I miss the old temples where you could hang out with God.
Still, we have pet pounds where you can feel love draped in warm fur,
And sense the whole tragedy of life and death.
You see there the consequences of carelessness,
And you feel there the yapping urgency of life that wants to be lived.
The only things lacking are the frankincense and myrrh.

We don't build many temples anymore.
Maybe we learned that the sacred can't be contained.
Or maybe it can't be sustained inside a building.
Buildings crumble.
It's the spirit that lives on.

If you had a temple in the secret spaces of your heart,
What would you worship there?
What would you bring to sacrifice?
What would be behind the curtain in the holy of holies?

Go there now.

A Sweet Reminder

We set the pace.
But this press of time--
take it as a little thing
next to what endures.

All this hurrying
soon will be over.
Only when we tarry
do we touch the holy.

Young ones, don't waste your courage
racing so fast,
flying so high.

See how all things are at rest--
darkness and morning light,
blossom and book.

~Rainer Maria Rilke

(Photo by Berta.)

Sunday Morning

The only real rest comes
when you're alone with God.

~Rumi

A New Candle for Ease & Enjoyment

Everything we want in life is downstream.
Drop the oars. Stop trying to push the river.
~Sister Cathy Beckley

After a grueling 2007, I woke up New Year's Day 2008 knowing in my heart of hearts this year was meant to be the year of ease & enjoyment. I adopted those words as my mantra, and am thrilled to have finally created a candle to celebrate this new way of living.

I am eternally grateful to my spiritual director and longtime friend Sister Cathy for introducing me to ease & enjoyment as a spiritual practice and daily way of life. It doesn't mean there won't be hardships or pain or challenges, it just means I know I'm not the manager of the river. My job is to surrender to the natural flow as best I can. To follow the path of least resistance. To stop struggling and fretting so much, to ENJOY my life! To trust that the easier, softer way is always the route I'm meant to take. It has proven true for me a thousand times this year. I have never enjoyed my life as much as I am right now, had such deep faith, or felt so close to Spirit. It can prove true for you, as well.