Bountiful Time

I can't tell you how many people have expressed that they don't have enough time right now. It seems to be a theme and a good topic to share.

It is so important for us to pay attention to ourselves.

This means take time to play. Connect with loved ones, open your heart. Take time alone. Move your body. Get done what needs to be done, chop wood, carry water. Rest when you need to rest. Contemplate the rhythms of the Earth, and synch yourself up with them. This is the natural flow, actually time becomes irrelevant in this place.

I find if I stay in the natural flow there will be opportunity provided for me to rest, recuperate and repair. I call this turtle time, when I retreat from the outside world for a period lasting a few days or sometimes even weeks, much like a turtle retreats into his shell. This does not mean I go into a cave. I just slow way down and listen to my body and the earth more consciously daily. If I stay in that rhythm, at first I will notice how tired I am. This is the beginning, I am restoring energy at this point. As I honor the process, being with immediate family, doing the simple chores to keep the house running, gently walking daily, I will rest and begin to feel refreshed and renewed. My tank is about half full. If I remain in this place of honoring and resting, I will move beyond replenished and begin to become restless. This is how I know this time is nearly done. As I begin to get restless, I am reminded that I am storing energy, and that at some time in the not too distant future I will be called upon to go above and beyond for someone else. This is how my tank gets topped off. If I stay with it I will better be able to fulfill that purpose. If this model doesn't sound familiar to you, perhaps you would recognize it if I describe doing it the way most busy humans allow for at least part of this process, which is to get sick.

Getting sick is a widely accepted time for people to rest and recuperate. This works well enough for part of the process, bringing your account to about one quarter to one half full. This doesnt give you heaps of wiggle room. It does not allow for the final stage, which is storing energy, so that we have additional energy to give when we are called upon to go above and beyond. This sets up the common Western World human experience of not having enough time. Most often it isn't a matter of needing more time, for most people it is actually about managing energy, along with this will come better time management. Actually taking the time to move, to play, to interact with loved ones, to be alone, are all ways which help us to return to the natural rhythm. All these apparently time "taking" activities actually decrease stress and allow us to be more fluid in our real world doing. We actually become more efficient at those tasks which have seemed to be too much to handle.

We want to manage our energy like we manage our finances. Try to keep a prudent reserve at all times. If an emergency comes up, you will drain the account for a good cause, but will immediately have to work on replenishing that account.

When we are dancing in our passion and playing in our joy, we are connecting in with the natural rhythms and it seems there is unlimited energy available to us. We are much better able to remain in the energetic flow.

So relax, slow down and time will actually stretch to accommodate you and all you need to do in a timely manner.

Let me know how this works for you. Before you know it you will find yourself contemplating how you are going to "spend" your spare time!

Sending you love this week and all days in all ways.