Precious Life
“After
all, it is those who have a deep and real inner life who are best
able to deal with the irritating details of outer life.”
Evelyn
Underhill
I had an email from my
cousin, Sandy, over the weekend saying how busy she is. Though she's
now retired, she's exhausted by all her volunteer work. Lots of
retirees are not truly retired; they simply are no longer paid for
the work they do. I also know many young women with children, and
some men, too, who spend every minute of every day, picking up and
dropping off. Summer is a sprint of swim lessons, sports camps,
scouts, art lessons, play dates, and endless food preparation and
clean up. Summer is not, and probably never has been, time to kick
back and do nothing. Most parents are honestly relieved when school
starts and they have at least six hours per day to devote to their
own tasks.
The demands of modern
life are many. It's a bit like watching the brown thrashers in the
umbrella tree trying to keep their chicks fed—they never stop. One
after the other, they fly to the nest, stuff food into the open
beaks, and fly away to search for more. Summer is a season of
exhaustion for many living things. So how do we keep our equilibrium?
It helps to have a
practice that lets you to begin the day in a quiet state of mind,
whether it's meditation, prayer, or just relaxing on the porch with a
cup of coffee. It may mean you may have to get up a little earlier,
before the rest of your brood. Sitting quietly, reading something
that inspires you, writing in a journal, taking a walk, whatever
helps you to get your day off to a calm start, will make a difference
for the whole day.
It also helps, in my
world view, and from the perspective of age, to appreciate every
single second, no matter what is going on around you. Be so tuned in
that you will remember all the moments—the harried and chaotic
ones, as well as the calm and peaceful ones. All of life is precious.
When you think you just can't take one more dance recital, or
one more baseball practice, just know that this too will pass, and
this boring or hectic moment is just as precious as any other. All of
our moments compose a full life—yours and mine.
In the Spirit,
Jane
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