The beauty held by the stillness of winter can easily be overlooked if you are not paying attention . . . | What do you pay attention to? How do you know whether it is best to wait patiently or if it is time to act? Are you willing to see what is right before your eyes and take action accordingly? The beauty is in the detail. Bare rock covered by hundreds and thousands of miniscule ice droplets. Who would have thought such beauty could emerge after the harshness of a mountain snowstorm? Winter often appears to be a lifeless season - plants are dormant, many animals become less active. When the bitter north winds blow, nature knows it is time to take cover. When the winds calm and snow blankets the Earth, there is a dynamic stillness that lingers in the air, disturbed only by the soft crunching of fresh snow under your boots. When you stand still, the silence sings to your soul and you feel the power of rebirth patiently waiting for the arrival of spring. |
When we are willing to look closely at our lives with curiosity and compassion, we may be surprised at what we discover. We may find that it is time to stop pushing, stop doing and learn to simply be, knowing there is nothing to prove, feeling worthy enough to take up space without fulfilling the wishes of those around us or of our over-active egos and without apologizing. Realize, if only for a day, the sun is going to shine in its own damn time and it is not your job to turn it on or off.
Your job is to pay attention and to take action on the days you need to take action and to rest on the days you need to rest. It sounds so simple and yet it is so difficult in our modern, western world of go, go, go and do, do, do.
It may take a lot of work to get to simple but that is the direction I am headed. I've pushed hard for most my life. Sometimes I feel like it has not gotten me all that far when I compare myself to others - others who have life partners, others who have children, others who have a nest egg and will be able to retire by the time they are 50, 60, or even 70. Others who have many outward signs of success and seem to fit the norm so much better than me.
I've learned it is not good to compare. We all have our paths to walk. I have chosen mine very consciously for the last 10 years - for better or for worse. I'm finally starting to believe that I can build the life of my dreams, that I can move past the pain that was buried in my being for 30 years and the fear it caused at a subconscious level.
While I do not identify closely with mouse medicine, I value it greatly. I am starting to learn to see clearly what is in front of me without trying to alter the scene to fit more nicely with what I want to see. Looking closely at my life has taught me that living the life of my dreams requires more than wanting and wishing - I have to plan and act. Planning is not really my strong point, it doesn't come naturally. I am learning, however, and I am beginning to plan and act - 2 weeks down, 50 to go.
Namaste.