Reflection #30 Living More Lightly
The Gap Year: Living More Lightly - by Patricia D. Brown
Glance at the sun. See the moon and stars. Gaze at the beauty of the green earth. Now think.-- Hildegard of Bingen
Retirement has offered me the time to deliberately reorient myself. I am stirred by the wish to be fully present in my life. I ask myself, what shift can I make to live more lightly? With more ease? With more gratitude? To live with more kindness and with a peaceful mind? To live more freely with all that is sacred? While my body moves slower with more caution, my spirit rejuvenates. Perhaps my virtues as well as defects are more visible. I am less angry and my character has softened a little.
Each day I awaken to discover that I find what I look for. When I look for beauty, humor, or joy I discover them all around me. My passion for the people I love and the causes I embrace have increased. I strive to live with my arms and heart wide open. I like to look for evidence of love wherever I go. When I see my neighbor 90-year-old Maria walking her dog Shadow, the men sharing gossip on the street corner bench, or the young father picking up his kids at the school bus stop I feel a ping of pleasure as further evidence of love all around. I’ve discovered that happiness requires me to choose between paying attention to this and not that.
Today I challenge all of us to live cheerfully.To this end, apply some simple rules. No longer acquiesce easily. Say goodbye to any size of heels, diets, and patience with fools. Learn to say no to what you don’t wish to do without feeling guilty. Identify what makes you happy and what makes you unhappy. Remember what it is to just be. Take time over breakfast, watch the news, or read the Sunday newspaper over a second cup of coffee. Reacquaint yourself with the leisure of an afternoon swim. Go to concerts or out for a walk at an unhurried pace.
Good luck.
Now it’s your turn.
Take time to reflect and if in a group, share as you feel able.
This week I promise myself that I will:
a) look for beauty, humor, and joy.
b) no longer acquiesce easily.
c) learn to say no to what I don’t wish to do without feeling guilty.
d) reacquaint myself with a leisurely afternoon.