I woke up this morning in pain from a massage yesterday. No, he wasn’t an amateur and yes, I’m that tense.
Life is a grand adventure, and I gear up for it every day. I whole-heartedly do my work, enter into my relationships as a parent, friend, professional and lover with gusto. I live to live, and I think everything is pretty damn funny.
Except when it comes to keeping my own ship afloat, and it’s been hard crewing a single craft for so long. Stress over time is kind of like dirt. Eventually it gets pretty ground in, and it starts to wear things out.
I’m a solitary soul when it comes to sorting out my own thoughts and emotions. I’ve decided that I need more quiet time than the average super-model. I need to to watch where my mind wanders, and to understand who I am and how I show up in the world every day.
Meditation throughout the years has developed into an instinctual practice. Early mornings are my quiet time to observe my mind, express gratitude, and sort myself out. I haven’t had much of that quiet time lately, so it is with great relief that I prepare to head out on my annual silent retreat. It’s time for a shift in habit and the way that I do things to make room in my life for other wonderful things that perhaps I’ve denied myself too long.
Silence can be a powerful motivator, an advisor, and a bit daunting. But I’ve learned to love what it offers; the tears, the deep joy, and the comfort of being surrounded by people who find value in the same communal solitude.
