In Defence of Nothing

When you feel as though you  haven't moved be it mentally, emotionally, spiritually, or physically it is frustrating.
We, or many of us, feel we should be growing , changing, doing, evolving, if you will. When we don't it can seem like  stagnation, failure.

Nonsense.

We're taking a break. Constant inner change requires rest periods same as physical exercise. No one spends every minute of every waking hour in sustained physical activity and neither should we spend all our time stretching our minds or souls or emotions.
Stretching causes breaks. To stave those off we must take breaks.
That said, if the break goes on too long for your individual taste, then yes,  it may be stagnation. No one wants that.
Get moving, reading, meditating, praying, or learning one new thing.

But how do you tell?
By listening to yourself and no one else.
Our friends and family know exactly what is wrong with us and how to fix it, They have all the answers. Just ask them, they'll tell you.
But as long as you are looking outside you will ignore looking inside and inside is the only place where your real answer is found.

So take the break. Enjoy it. Plenty is going on when you feel like there's nothing happening. All you've learned, done, experienced, felt, or heard is being assimilated. Just like the individual flavours in a recipe need time to rest and gather, so do you and your experiences.

Let it happen.
Forcing it will only increase your frustration.
Relax, and listen to yourself.

Gratitude Monday – Someone Else’s Problem

Sometimes we're here for reasons other than our own.

Have you ever had to stop and think about gratitude and what there is to be grateful for? Did you ever set out to list all things, even one thing, for which you should be thankful, and drawn a complete blank?
Ask yourself: is it that I’ve got nothing to be grateful for, or is it because I’ve got too much?
The former is fundamentally absurd. The latter is, too.
Everyone had something to be thankful for, even if it is the simple fact of being alive. As long as you’re alive you’ve got the chance to change your life.
If you’ve got too much, then it’s all the more reason to say thanks because if you lose sight of that, then greed sets in.
We’ve all seen it. Misers who can’t bear to part with a penny. The rich who give nothing back to a world that’s given them more than they could ever use. These sad people have lost perspective.
Let’s forget about the rich and poor ends of the spectrum for now. Most of us are somewhere in the middle and can manage on what we have.
We are alive. We’re breathing, and very likely doing it all on our own. If not, then perhaps you’re using portable oxygen. Are your grateful such technology exists that allows you to keep on breathing?
Why not give that some thought. You can get about in some manner, I’ll assume you have friends and family and something to occupy your time each day whether it’s reading, talking, or your own thoughts. You can communicate and be entertained.
And even if you have no one, then you are still here and you have a chance to change the circumstances of your life. You’re being given every possible chance, by virtue of waking up in the morning, to do something.
Perhaps it’s not you, but someone in your personal circle who needs the chance to grow and change and that’s why you’re still here. That’s very thoughtful of you.
Someone close to you, be it an obvious closeness or not, can improve his or her life with your help. If that gets done now, then next time around the two of you will have one less thing to do.
And for that, why wouldn’t you be grateful?

Gratitude Monday – The Gift of a Day

Cymbidium “Lucky Rainbow” from Asia. Displayed at the orchid show.

What am I grateful for?
Today.
Each day is a chance to grow, change, explore, experience something new or do something routine for the security of it.

Routine may seem boring, but it offers stability, normalcy, continuance, and calmness. Follow your routine and watch as your daily labors are completed. You can cast your mind away elsewhere or devote your whole presence, your entire mind and soul to the task you are doing. Be there. Enjoy it for what it is. All we have is now. Why spend it being bored?

New is exciting, exhilarating, scary. We need that. Shaking things up helps us to grow, getting back in the routine afterward helps us take our growth and get used to it.

Have you ever tried this? Take something in your life, anything, and take it down to its bare essentials. You like the fragrance of a flower? You can be grateful for the flower and for having it, but at its simplest form you can be thankful for your sense of smell.

Does that seem odd? Certain medications knock out the olfactory sense. When you walk in to your house on a cold winter day and are greeted by the savory fragrance of a stew simmering on the stove you are being given a magnificent opportunity for gratitude. You have a roof over your head, you have good, hot food, and your olfactory sense works.

Here’s something to think about. Construct the above scene in your mind when you have a few minutes to devote to it. What else can you find to be grateful for?

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Happy St. Patrick's Day everyone.

Erin Go Bragh!