| Anne Williamson |
By the time anyone reads this blog post, I’ll have a new baby at home. She’ll only be a few weeks old. How will I feel? Perhaps lovely… baby is relatively easy, toddler is adjusting well, the “feel good” hormones are rolling, friends and family are near and welcome. Life is good. Or, maybe, I’ll feel awful… utterly exhausted by a colicky baby and distraught toddler, isolated and intentionally isolating myself in the throws of post-partum. Life will not feel so good.
Most likely, reality will fall somewhere in-between. My life will be both sweet and trying. This seems to be the way of things most of the time – especially in seasons of transition…and limited sleep.
What I believe, what I trust, is it will be how I react in the midst of the trying moments that will help determine how long they last and how deeply they’re felt. Will I lean into the support of others and those centering practices that have always “worked” for me, brought me peace? Or, will I flail about… isolating myself and muffling my emotions in the hum of the TV or whatever?
A similar awareness, and daily choice, can be found in each of the Blue Zone communities around the world. Each found, and then enculturated, ways to pull themselves back to c/Center – usually, on a daily basis. In these communities, there is an understanding that life must be listened to, savored, breathed into, as much as it is done. That consistently stopping and finding center again is essential to good living.
In fact, I believe our ability to find or rest in the very center of ourselves in any given moment is the most important factor in how we interact with every other topic we’ve discussed this round…. Do we take the risk and invite our neighbors over for dinner? It depends: how connected are you today to the solidness of your True Self? Do we listen to our bodies telling us to put down this food and pick up that one? Well, have you been still enough to hear such a small v/Voice over the roar of habit and addiction? Do we confront that policy or, harder still, the felt strands of superficiality in our own life? Do we? It all comes back to center. Is center the place I rest or, at least, know how to return to in any given moment?
Of course, finding and staying in center is a life-long journey. Not only is it hard, requiring intentionality, it’s also not static – what works for us one day, may not work tomorrow. And, sometimes, despite our vigilance, life or world circumstances knock us far afield. So, we reflect on these things – both of which we’ll be doing in groups this week. And…and, we keep practicing. Life, like a newborn, is both lovely and (I’m sorry) not lovely at all; to taste deeply of the sweet and learn from the bitter requires we live from the center of who we are as consistently as possible.
I hope, as you read this, in the midst of poopy diapers and sleep deprivation, I’m still practicing center. I hope it deeply for you too. In the coming weeks, you’ll be hearing much less from me and WAYfinding. There will be events happening and people gathering, but we’ll use our Facebook group to share and invite. Please join if you’re interested in staying connected this summer! I look forward to formally reaching back out in July. Until then, may the longer days and warm nights help you find and rest in your c/Center.