As long as I can remember, I have run at life as fast as I can, taking on projects, never saying no to a new idea, bubbling over with enthusiastic fervor for new adventures, and always being ready. However, keeping up this internal tempo caught up with me. I found I was exhausted. I had become numb to the impact of self-imposed stress and minimized its scope and the magnitude of debilitating long-term results.
It sneaks up on you – the underlying and overwhelming mindset that you must always be racing to get something done. You have to. And you are already late! It is a constant, contained panic, a sense of being over your head and out of control.
I never realized how fast my life moved until I retreated and slammed on the brakes. For one week, my days, usually an over scheduled blur of running in circles, involved nothing more than listening to the rain and staring at the sky.
And a strange thing began to happen as one languid moment passed into the next. I started to feel as if I were waking up. I felt engaged, present, and energized in ways I had forgotten I could be. I savored the refreshment and welcomed the sense of well-being. I began discerning the difference between things I was running fast after and things I was running fast from.
I never thought I would be thankful for being so fatigued, but its limitation catapulted me into contemplation, prayer, reflection, and a determined decision to become apparent in choices. To fully understand what is most important and realize what is not. I learned that the quieter I became, the more I could hear. Silence isn’t empty. It’s full of answers.
I encourage you to relax this Spring …on purpose. Include time to be quiet. Bask in the sunshine, and let it warm you. Listen to the birds and let their melodic call soothe you. Breathe in the newness, and let it rejuvenate you. Watch the setting sun and notice the vivid color patterns of otherworldly quality, never the same way twice, and let it amaze you.
Quietly.
