Make Peace with Time
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Time has been my enemy for as long as I can remember. I was always in a rush for time. More so after my kids came. There were never-ending chores to do and tasks to run. On top of that, I was at odds with myself often for hoping to work in-between and choosing an arrangement that puts my kids’ needs high in priority.
(No time to sit still?)
Time was a precious commodity that I longed for but never quite got a fix on. I tried to accomplish as much as I could within my waking hours. Over four months, prior to my blogging break, I became a slave to time with increasing demands from work. Amazingly, my first lesson was about time when I started my blogging break.
A Canvas Of Crawling Ants, Greedy Mosquitoes and Slithering Lizards
It was my first day of going to the park. I spotted a part of the ground that would like perfect for meditating. I had brought a mat with me and sat down to meditate. However, the more I tried to be still, the harder it was for me.
My imagination went on an overdrive even as I closed my eyes. My toes, arms and legs itched repeatedly at the thought of crawling ants, mosquitoes taking lusty bites off me and approaching slithering monitor lizards from the nearby tree. I opened my eyes constantly to check that I was not under some kind of attack.
(Can you spot the lizard at the side of the tree?)
Satisfied that not one of my imagined thoughts was real, I closed my eyes again. Even then, my mind refused to be still. It was in a state of flux. All too soon, I sensed a rush. I was feeling impatient. I was caught in a stream of thoughts. Was I too hasty in deciding to take a blogging break? What if I did not manage to gain any form of clarity or insight? Would I be wasting my time? My thoughts went on and on for a good length of time.
After a while, I found myself tuning into another perspective. I became aware that I would be doing myself in if I continued letting these thoughts rule. It was an “aha” moment. I saw the trappings of my ego. I had attached myself to the belief that I need to derive some benefit from taking a long break. Was it so important to score, I wondered. What race was I hoping to win? Who was I trying to beat?
My thoughts had me worrying. I was worrying about some future event that might or might not happen. I considered probable possibilities; recalling that once upon a time, I aced in further math. Surely chances of a favorable outcome happening was just as many as that of an unfavorable outcome? I concluded that worrying would not do no more than add stress to my situation.
I laughed aloud at myself with the realization! How ridiculous my thoughts had become when left unchecked! I was never ever going to be able to keep still until I have made peace with spending the time in the now.
In an instant, everything fell silence. My mind became quiet. Peace.
Nature Tapestry Notes
Only with the existence of time can we experience an unfolding. It is how we evolve moment-to-moment. We cannot expect to experience a renewal when our fears about time keep us stuck. Very importantly, we cannot hope to have happy relationships with time if we make it our enemy. On the contrary, we can only make friends by giving it attention. It is the quality of the attention that is important.
At peace with time, we open ourselves to the fullness of our being. We experience our wholeness. We are in eternity in the moment of now. In the gap, we tune into abundance.
Abundance is to be found in the present. Our thoughts of lack often center on worries about the future. We feel stuck because our thought patterns are about “I can only be happy when _______”. We hinge our happiness only upon the successful outcome of a future event. We find it so difficult to stay in the present because our minds are so conditioned to think this way. Our mind seldom keeps us contented with our current situation. Meditation provides the doorway for a consistent practice of keeping our mind centered in the now.
Quiet time spent in the surroundings of nature can be helpful in the understanding of self and universal consciousness. I would like to think that enlightenment is not necessarily acquired through long stays at ashrams in India nor by joining expensive sweat lodge retreats. Simply by expanding my awareness – right here, right now – there can be much that my surrounding environment can teach me.
(Orchids – Our National Flower)
Tip of the Day: Be at peace with the now. Let nature be your guide. Allow miracles to unfold by bring presence into each moment spent in the embrace of nature.
As I left the park that day, I experienced a lightness of being at the sense of renewal. I felt excited about the prospect of making my trips regular. What a wild adventure, with no idea what the end was going to be like! May the fun begin!
Your Comments Please
Are you a friend or an enemy of with time? Have you been paying attention to time lately?
In Abundance Always,
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