Time to Think

Changes, Big and Small

“The changes we need to make to our lives are the obvious ones. But we're often too busy to stop and think about what we need to do to bring them about. We've gotten so caught up in the stress and the pressures and the demands of our days that we've gotten out of the habit of thinking about our lives.”

Elaine St. James (Inner Simplicity)

Sometimes I find myself rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off. I'll run by a pile of dirty clothes, or four boxes of books, and fleetingly think, “Oh, yea, I was going to do laundry today,” or “I meant to take those books to the library book sale.” I don't stop long enough to do whatever it was I meant to do, so it lingers and collects dust. Even small changes like what to do with all the boxed up stuff in the attic, or in the basement, are sometimes hard to make, especially during the years when we're juggling children, work and home at the same time.

Bigger changes really do demand some thinking through, and thinking through requires uninterrupted time. We all have different ways of doing that, if we take the time to do it at all. Big decisions, like whether or not to put a house on the market, or downsize, or change locations, jobs or school systems, involve a prolonged period of comparison thinking. I find it helpful to talk it through with someone whose opinion I respect—bounce ideas off them and get their input as to pros and cons. I also like to go somewhere outside my house to simply sit and think. Fewer distractions, and no tasks calling to me. I make lists, or write down the steps necessary for moving from where I am now, to where I want to be a year from now. I used to go to a particular rock bench on the back side of the botanical gardens where very few people go. I'd sit there with my pencil and notepad and truly think things through.

How often do you stop and really think about your life and the changes you'd like to make? I know people who make snap decisions about what to me are big changes. They almost never turn out the way they've envisioned. Being thoughtful about one's choices, taking time to make good decisions, is the better part of wisdom.

                                      In the Spirit,

                                          Jane