Tag: Quiet Time

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Inside My Head Karen

Weariness

Weary ClownThis past Monday, while walking to work, I became more and more intrigued.

What did I see? Exhaustion. Weariness. Tiredness.

As people approached me I’d look at them, into their eyes, and think: ”There’s another one. Another tired person.”

I enjoy casually walking to work with an Earl Grey in hand. What normally takes 30 minutes to walk, usually takes me 40 minutes. I stroll. I don’t like to rush. I don’t want to rush. By strolling, I soak in my environment. The ol’ saying “stop and smell the roses.” That would be the best description of how I view each morning.

What awaits me at work is a fast-paced, high energy, highly stimulated environment. For an introvert, although gregarious, this could easily suck the life out of me. But I’ve learned, over the last 13 years, that peace and tranquility are uncompromising resources in my life. I will not negotiate these two life sources. Since 2002, I am committed to finding my rest before my day begins.

I naturally wake up early, without an alarm clock (early, as in 5:30-6:00am). I like it. It allows me to just be. There’s nothing urgent at that hour. On the rare occasion that I need to move quickly in the morning, I instantly experience stress, pressure and anxiety. I do not want to start my day that way! No thanks! However, those rare occasions become gifts to me, reminding me once again that I MUST start my day with peace and tranquility. This is not just a good idea; it is a principle I live by. Good for the soul!

So, here I am, walking to work, soaking in the people – and my compassion begins to kick in. “So many weary people.”

Why?

Here are a few reasons I’d like to propose:

  • Busy, because they need a holiday and a slower pace of life to give themselves the opportunity to refuel again.
  • Striving, because they put pressure on themselves to perform at high levels.
  • Sleeplessness, because they can’t turn off their minds.
  • Bored, because they are in a rut and don’t know how to create fresh life for themselves.
  • Lonely, because they don’t know how to freely express the longing for what they truly desire and want.
  • Restless, because they are dissatisfied with part or all of life.
  • Worried, because they have financial debt and are not living within their means.
  • Hurt, because they carry an un-resolve for wrongdoings they’ve experienced.
  • Shame, because they can’t seem to quite forgive themselves for one, or ten, or countless mistakes – in other words, they can’t forgive themselves for being human.
  • Disappointment, because they thought their lives would have been so much different than the outcome they are presently in.

Weariness is a result of excessive exertion or lack of sleep. The opposite of weary? Refreshment.

Excessive exertion can take place in your body, your mind and your soul. You may be doing too much and your body is tired; you may be thinking too much and your mind is tired; you may be feeling too much and your soul is tired.

Pause for a moment. If any of the proposed reasons for weariness applies to you, then it’s time for you to find your rest. By finding rest, you will be refreshed.

Refreshment means to gain new strength; to restore; to revitalize…to wake up.

How does one find rest? Sometimes it requires only simple adjustments:

  • Slow your pace down. Walk slower. Sit longer. Breathe slower. Talk slower.
  • Give yourself that extra 15 minutes so you don’t have to experience feeling rushed; or late; or in a hurry.
  • On the weekends, start your day one or two hours later. It’s the weekend – the opportunity to not have a responsible schedule (unlike what is required of you at work).
  • Sip your coffee/tea in silence. Learn to enjoy the sound of quietness again.
  • Don’t make excuses for your tiredness: avoid “yeah, but…”
  • When’s the last time you really had a day off? It’s not sustainable to keep yourself busy every day. (and I’m referring to all three: body, mind and soul).
  • Instead of using electricity, light candles. Candlelit rooms create an environment for tranquility.
  • Take a break from your computer, mobile and/or television.
  • Stroll or sit outdoors and breathe in the fresh air.
  • Take a break from using your car.

I’m not asking you to change your life. Keep everything exactly the way it is.

I’m only asking one thing… add rest.

-Karen Thrall

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Inside My Head Karen

Carefree Moments

UmbrellaIt was a rainy morning. I was in my car, approaching an elementary school. I saw something so full of life. My curiosity heightened. I had to pull over. And watch.

A little girl was walking through the open field, heading to school. She carried a bright pink umbrella. The winds were powerful. All of a sudden, its force grabbed the umbrella from her little hands.

The umbrella starts rolling and jumping across the field.

She chases it…

Laughing!

The wind became her playmate.

She ran to catch her umbrella. And the wind would twirl it in the air and bounce it across the grass. This continued until at last she captures her umbrella.

She tilts her head back, with a big smile on her face, as though she were saying “Oh Wind! You are so silly.”

Her laughter made me laugh. I smiled. And drove away.

A little girl reminded me to never stop living whimsically – regardless of the storm.

There is wonderful adventure awaiting us at any moment. Remind yourself, again, that you love carefree moments.

What carefree moment have you experienced in the last seven days?

– Karen Thrall

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Inside My Head

Unplugged

There’s something magical about flying at night. Not the battle with TSA, screaming-kids-and-lost-luggage type of flying, but rather, the actual act of being up in a plane at night. It’s quiet since lots of folks are sleeping, the cabin is dark and all you can see are hundreds of thousands of lights below you when you pass over a city. This is my favorite time. Without necessarily making a conscious decision, I usually find myself with my headphones plugged in and letting my mind wander. Sure, I have my book, my laptop or a movie ready to go, but I almost always find myself putting all that down and just being. This is my time to just be in my own world. It saddens me that planes now come equipped with wifi. Flying time is (was?) the last space it’s okay for you to be disconnected. With so many things to do and to distract me from just being, I’m not very good at unplugging and taking time to let my mind wander. This is one of the places where it seems to come naturally, and the soothing darkness and white noise seem to be a perfect combination for me to reconnect with myself. Where are you when you can just be?