Friday, 20 January 2023

January 20, 2023 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings 

   As I write this, we are on day 2 of thick fog all around.  While I can see across the street, I can’t see much further than that.  (And if ancient lore is correct, that means that we’ll be seeing a lot of precipitation around Easter - approximately 90 days after the fog.)

   I don’t know about you, but on days like this - where it looks like the world is under a white blanket - there is nothing I like better than to curl up in a blanket myself.  Nature shows us it’s time to rest.  .

   We’re now three weeks into the new year and what have you accomplished?  Has anyone asked you that recently? 

   We’re ONLY three weeks into the new year so why should we be worried about accomplishing anything yet?  Heck, we have a whole year ahead of us so there is no rush to start ticking items off a list.

   In the creative membership I am part of, we are creating space during the month of January.  Now, for some that means physical space by cleaning and decluttering, but for many of us, it is space in our calendars and schedules, which allows us to have more time to just pause and rest before we blast forth into our next project or task.

   Some would argue that we’ve had a lot of rest time in the past three years with the pandemic creating so many changes in our lives, but how many of us did take advantage of that global pause to rest?  Did you just filled the time with multiple distractions so you didn’t have to stop?

   Yes, there are times to be active and accomplish tasks, but there are also times to be still and quiet.  And, only by taking the time to be still and quiet can we know if the activities we want to do, or plan to do, are even the right ones for us.  Sometimes we find out that they are not, and it’s easier to find that out before you start than after.

   Today, I’m going to find a good book and curl up under a blanket and enjoy some down time.

Beth

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