Women at Rest

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.

Sunday Morning

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

~Rumi

A Day of Sacred Solitude

My kitchen windowsill, with an iris from my garden...

I'm having a much-needed day of solitude. No dogs (they're with Bryon this week), no humans, no conversations, no going anywhere. My rules for today are:

1. Stay home
2. Don't answer the phone
3. Move through the day slowly and intuitively
4. Be gentle and loving with myself
5. Do very, very little

Needless to say it's been exquisite! Hour by hour I've felt the stress draining away from my blood and bones. (No doubt helped that I had a 90-minute massage yesterday.) If you asked what aspect of today has nourished me the most, it's the peace and quiet. Not hearing my own voice -- or anyone else's voice -- including the critical, shrill, self-flagellating voice in my head -- has been a thorough relief and inexpressibly, profoundly nourishing. Talk about rest. I just realized I haven't "should" on myself once today and that, my friends, is a miracle.

Ironically -- accidentally, really -- I got quite a lot done today! I...

Slept in 'til 8am

Made my bed (making the effort to do this daily)

Watered the back yard and garden

Finished organizing my office

Setup my awesome new HP 1600 Color LaserJet printer

Listed my HP DeskJet 1220C printer on Craigslist

Prepared a healthy lunch (ham and cheddar on wheat sourdough with lettuce, and a fat juicy plum) and a healthy dinner (spaghettini with homemade pesto, green salad with broccoli and a box of Junior Mints for dessert :))

Listed a bunch more unneeded/unloved books and CDs for sale on Amazon Marketplace (purging is GOOD)

Shipped a few orders

Took a few photos

Sent a few emails

Forwarded womenatrest.com to point to this blog, after transferring the domain from pain-in-the-ass web host iPowerWeb to easy and friendly GoDaddy

Now it's 8pm, and me and my Junior Minty tummy are kicked back on the couch, semi-watching Entourage. Life is calm and serene today. I am calm and serene today. I feel better than I have in months -- which may not last, but no matter. What matters is this moment. All it took was my commitment to stick to 5 simple rules that kept me cocooned and quiet for one lovely, simple, healing day.