"Not enough hours in the day....never in the present...always thinking about what's next...
it's exhausting!"
A friend recently expressed this, and there have been and will be times when I can totally relate. Sometimes we seem to spend more hours than we make, to put it in financial terms, leaving us left with a deficit in our souls. Often it is completely unavoidable, as is the case with my young friend who is in school, working and trying to have a life. Mothers, too, experience this, and can only find consolation in the fact that they may get a few hours back after 18 years!
So how can we push against this onslaught of never ending tasks and responsibilities? One radical way is to learn the discipline of saying NO, when we see a pattern of over-extending ourselves again and again. But this is a subject that requires much spiritual exploration and prayer. So, I'll use a less intimidating but very real illustration from our modern technological experience and suggest that, like our computers and PDA's...sometimes we need to just RE-BOOT!
To be sure, this is another discipline and will require reminding, practice, failure, reminding, practice, etc. until maybe it becomes a habit with benefits. It is a very modern take on the ancient practice of Praying the Hours, when followers of Christ would stop to pray the same prayers at the same times during the day all over the world. This centuries old tradition continues today among many groups and individuals. My version is much more "lite" but hopefully it will help, like the deeper version, to bring us back to our center, to the presence of God and to a spirit refreshed and calmed.
Introducing...a Re-boot Retreat:
At the hours of 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, 6:00 pm and 9:00 pm, take 1 minute to STOP. That's all, just one minute minimum. Put down whatever it is you are focused on...and refocus on these 7 things:
- Take One Deep Breath (5 seconds)
- Remember that you are Beloved in the Presence of God(5 sec)
- Be Attentive to Why You Do What You Do...your call (10 sec)
- Express your Gratitude (10 sec)
- Ask for the Divine Help you Need for the Day (5 sec)
- Remember Those who Love and Support You on this earth (10 sec)
- End with a Deep Breath (5 seconds)
A few helpful tips might be to set your phone alarm as a reminder, have a retreat buddy for support and invite your kids, spouse, or co-workers to join you. Again, you will probably fail, forget and maybe not see the benefit at first...but practice makes for better (not perfect) and less stressful minutes=hours=days ahead. Please share comments around this experience on the blog or Facebook page. Also, if you are skillful at acrostics and would like to come up with one to help remember what to focus on...feel free to share!Be still...bear fruit,
Cindy
PS...
The List of 2011 Scheduled Retreats is Coming Soon!
Reservations are now Being Excepted for Your
April-October Group Retreats
