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Musings on Meditation and Art

Spring Renewal

4/1/2016

4 Comments

 
PicturePhotography by William Walther
WjW Photography
“Like too many of us, I mistook a busy life for a rich one.” ~ Anne D. LeClaire
 
Five years ago I read the book Listening Below the Noise: A Meditation on the Practice of Silence by Anne D. LeClaire and it impacted me greatly because she took time to be silent and go within.  At that time, I was recently retired and realizing that I still had a very busy life.  Even though I was retired and thought I would have to time to do everything I wanted, I quickly realized that I was busy running from one activity to the next.  Sound familiar?  I was just as busy, if not busier than when I worked full time and I realized it was not the ideal situation for a balanced life.
I tried taking a day of silence and I really enjoyed it and realized I wanted more.  So, for the past 4 years I have taken the month of April off to be my month to get grounded, go slower, spend more time in silence, connect to nature and focus on answering the questions who I am and what do I want.  I don’t schedule any activities during the day – no yoga classes, no art classes, no lunches with friends, no meetings, no doctor’s appointments, no gatherings with friends, etc. I still do things in the evening and on the weekends with my husband, but I have the days to go within.
The first year I did this it was novel to my friends and family and I am not even sure they understood.  But, now that I am doing this for the fifth year, everyone seems to know and doesn’t even try to schedule anything with me during the month of April. It seems to take me a week to decompress and mindfully accomplish the things on my to do list and then for the next 3 weeks I focus on getting centered, being creative, reading spiritually, and cleansing my body, mind and spirit. After the month, I am rejuvenated and ready to tackle the world again from a calmer and more peaceful mindset.
My plan is to share what I am doing in my upcoming blog entries.  You may not be as fortunate as I am to take a month to do this, but maybe you can find a week, weekend, day or afternoon for yourself.  I am not taking a time out from life, but I am making time to go within and find what matters most to me and what I want in life from a place of peace.

How busy is your life? Is it a rich life?
 
When can you find some quiet time to go within and listen to your true desires?



4 Comments
Peggie Thomas
4/4/2016 06:59:49 am

I remember when you first started your April retreats and it was a good lesson for me right from the start. I was very aware early in my retirement that I didn't want to fill it up with scheduled activities and I was very protective of my time "off". Recently, I had 11 days without scheduled activities and it was so enjoyable and freeing that it brought me to the realization that I've let myself get too "busy". Time for that personal journey is too priceless to ignore.

Reply
Peggy Steffens
4/4/2016 12:40:01 pm

Peggie,
How wonderful that you had 11 days without scheduled activities. It really does help us to realize how busy our lives can get. I love most of the things I do and the people I see, but the month of April helps me to get a handle on protecting myself from getting too busy and consciously choosing what I really want to do.

You are so right that the time for personal journey is priceless and if we spend time on the personal journey, I believe we participate in the rest of life from a strong and more centered perspective.

Reply
Mary Ann
4/5/2016 02:44:04 pm

Peggy, I am so excited you will be blogging about April so we can continue to be inspired to: BE SILENT, GO WITHIN, and BE for extended time. I read something today to share from the book Savor: Living Abundantly where you, as you are by Shauna Niequist... It is a daily prayer kind of book. from April 5, page 104: "This is what I know: my life works better a little slower. Our family life works better a little slower. And our marriage works better a little slower, when there's space to listen, laugh, when we read together on the couch... and we just get to be us. What COULD you say no to this week to allow more space and slowness in your life?" Namaste.

Reply
Peggy
4/5/2016 03:17:19 pm

Mary Ann,
Thank you so much for sharing the quote from the book Savor. I think that going slower is the key to living a joyous and peaceful life. When I hurry, I forget things, I am not appreciative of people and experiences and I am not living in the present moment. April reminds me again of the importance of going slow and putting space between activities. And then I try to make it part of the rest of the year

Reply



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    Peggy Steffens is an artist and Chopra Certified Meditation Instructor


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