self-care

We are all the same

July 11, 2017July 12, 2017 Healing Insights with Jen1 Comment

I always seem to be carrying something in my right hand: a child, a totebag, my umbrella, my wheeled case for work. You name it. Yesterday I was walking back to the parking garage. It was a very hot and humid day. A scorcher. Bright sun was beating down on my head with no breeze as a reprieve. I was carrying my lunch bag in my left hand and pulling my wheeled case with my right. I stopped and shifted. I put my lunch bag onto my case, which freed up my left hand.

As I started to walk, my left arm naturally swayed forward and back as I took my steps. I noticed the young man in front of me. His left hand was tucked in, close to his torso. But his right arm was swinging, just like mine. I looked ahead. There was a woman walking towards me. Her left arm also moved in a similar pattern. Our paths crossed with our left arms silently swinging by. The same. Then I noticed a young child walking to keep up with his mother. His little arm had a small sway too.

A deep feeling of connection swelled up inside of me. As human beings, we tend to walk upright. Although we have our own unique gait, we have so much in common too. We all have to eat food and drink water. We all bleed when we get a cut. Our bodies repair after an injury. We all have the capacity for love, and we can all feel pain and suffering.

I felt powerful. The notion of what separates and categorizes us melted. Imagine what we could accomplish if we worked together instead of focusing on what divides us? I believe if we can take a moment to step out of our daily dramas and just notice our surroundings, real peace is possible. If we can find peace within ourselves, we will find world peace.

self-care

P A U S E

July 5, 2017July 12, 2017 Healing Insights with JenLeave a comment

Sometimes I’m too open and I tend to blurt out what I’m thinking and feeling without pausing or listening. I’d like to take more pauses:

Pause before interrupting

Pause to truly listen to another

Pause to let someone finish their story

And not focus on what I want to say or focus on what else I have to do. If I can pause and be present, then it gives the person I’m talking to permission to do the same.

Our society has made us busy, busier than ever. We always seem to be rushing off to the next thing on our to-do. What if we could pause between all that productivity?

The present moment is all we have.

Yes, we can check off that item and feel a brief sense of satisfaction after completion. But my guess is, like me, our minds will quickly change to focus onto what’s our next activity. We don’t pause long enough to realize, “Yes, I did finish my task. I can appreciate my time, effort, and energy that brought it to completion.”

What if we chose to take a pause and decide to take ten deep breaths between tasks? We might be able to notice how busy our lives are, how fleeting time can be, and notice that we have the power to choose how we want to spend our time and energy. Yes, we can be busy, as we are sometimes required to be. What if we could include a pause throughout our day, a moment to just notice? Just observe our thoughts. Just observe our surroundings. Feel a connection to ourselves, to someone else, to our world, and not just focus on our obligations.

After a pause, then we can move ahead on our way. My hope is that at the end of the day, we won’t have to wonder, “Where did the time go?” Maybe it could slow down the busy cycle that we’ve become and normalized as a society. We’d be more open and approachable, and definitely feel grounded and connected.

Today I’m going to pause.