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Dear Friends, I am writing this as the weather outside is trying to snow, the sky heavy and grey and every now and then there is a short flurry, as if in expectation of the greater things yet to come. The festivities of Christmas and the New Year are behind us and our thoughts and deeds are starting to focus more directly on the events and demands of the emerging new year. I have had a 2 week holiday from the normality of work, having spent the time reading, walking, cooking and eating meals with family. Overall, I have been generally present to whatever unfolds. It’s a time and space that I deeply appreciate and as I leave this almost blissful ‘pause’ to life’s busyness, I am left with a question, “What could my life be like if I allowed more time for nothingness?” What indeed would my life be like if I experienced more fully, living each day in its entirety rather than desperately rushing to tick off the ‘to do’ list? Forever feeling that I have failed, never reaching the end… As we start the year with new intentions for something different, we look for renewed possibility in our way of being in the world. I am struck by the writing of Mark Nepo in his Book of Awakening, specifically the following poem - Nowhere to Go
There is nothing to do
And nowhere to go.
Accepting this,
We can do everything
And go anywhere.
I feel that these words are extending an invitation to us, encouraging us to ‘tune in’ to life as we experience it. A “being” rather than just a “doing”. It is easy to say this however, but very difficult to do. It is as if we are programmed in this life to always be in planning mode, looking for something better, striving for future satisfactions. It feels counter cultural to not be in a state of constant perpetual motion propelling us towards that nebulous concept that, for this week, month or year even, is going to make us happy! This year is ever more forward focused. We move into a new year where we experience the weight and expectation of ‘something better’ from every angle. Every news channel, discussion and report on TV as well as social media platforms from across the globe is anticipating the return to COVID free lives. Normality! I do wonder however whether this huge sense of something better lurking around the corner is just a reflection of our attitudes? Surely it will all be ok tomorrow? If I can just get through today as best I can it will be better! Is this the way we have been programmed to dismiss our daily experiences? I ask myself, “What if I can hold back the focus on tomorrow to ensure that I create meaning in my experience of today?” So, this is my intention for the coming year. I hope to stay with each day and therefore to experience it with presence and openness. I want to live with each day as it unfolds, slowing its inevitable progression into tomorrow. Of course this will be constant ‘work in progress’ for me, as with any development plan as it requires changing habits of a lifetime! I’ll have to let you know how it goes at a later date. Keep safe, and much love
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