Think

"Time to think is an essential political act." - Margaret Wheatley

Let's take a moment and reflect on the above quote.

Taking the time to think about what's going on in our world may seem like a rare indulgence in our busy lives. Stopping to think may possibly be one of the most dangerous political acts we can commit. I believe our government would likely see it as such because a population that thinks is a population that questions, and the last thing our current administration wants is to be faced with a bunch of questions they don't want to answer. So instead they try to program us with patriotic slogans and empty rhetoric designed to distract us from thinking, questioning and searching for the truth.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being told what to think and how to believe. I get especially militant on major religious holidays because not subscribing to the culture's dominant religious belief does tend to leave one out in the cold on days such as today. This morning I thought I would get out and run some errands - grocery store, etc - and now I wonder what's open and what sort of difficulties I'll run into as I try to do what I need to do. Hubby is working tonight, and I'm bouncing between schoolwork and housework - it's a normal Sunday for us. Outside our oasis of calm the rest of the world is in holiday mode, so nothing is normal.

Tomorrow my Spring Break begins, and this time I feel like I really need it! It's not that I'm overstressed or there's anything unusual going on with me. It's that I've recently realized that I don't have to be working ALL THE TIME, that sometimes I deserve a little down-time. It's all a part of maintaining healthy boundaries in your life. We stress that in my workplace, and those lessons are beginning to filter over into my personal life as well. A couple of weeks ago I was totally exhausted, asleep-on-my-feet tired, and was trying to figure out what to do. I had both housework and studying that were competing for my attention and I was becoming frustrated with myself (because of course I saw my tiredness as a personal failing - I had stuff to do!). Then it suddenly hit me: it's okay for me just to bail out occasionally. It's more than okay, it's healthy. I saw just how unhealthy it was to continue to push myself beyond my limits, and realized that laying down my burdens for a few hours was not an act of surrender, it was an act of kindness to myself. I acknowledged my needs and chose to honor those needs. So I took a nap, and it was great! And the stars didn't fall from the sky, the world kept turning on its axis, Hubby still loved me, my GPA stayed high, and I was able to tackle my studying and housework much refreshed as a result.

So what am I doing for Spring break? As much as I wish I could say I'm going to go lie on a beach and relax, that's just not in the cards. Sigh... I need some beach time. I'm going to take some time to rest, to breathe, and to think (a la the Margaret Wheatley quote). I'm also going to give the house a mid-semester cleaning and do some sewing. The cleaning needs to be done, and I'm only talking about a few hours worth, not days. The sewing is fun, relaxing and meditative for me, and besides, I need a new dress for commencement and would much rather sew than shop. I have a backlog of sewing projects like you wouldn't believe, and am at the point at which I must re-prioritize them to fit the upcoming warmer weather. Need to put the heavy fabrics aside for a few months and focus on lighter-weight clothing.

Maybe it doesn't really matter where we are, a beach or home. Maybe what matters is that we silence the voices that mute our own thoughts, disconnect from the sources that try to tell us what we "should" think and "should" believe, and simply THINK, of anything or nothing at all. That way lies inner truth and self-discovery that can't be found in any church. Perhaps an appropriate subject for thought is "what is truly important to me?" As I just re-read this paragraph I realize that meditation may well be the answer, as well as allowing ourselves time to experience meditative thought, to enter a mental state in which our minds are free to go where they may while we tag along for the ride. Maybe we all need to take a mental spring break.

"All that we are is the result of what we have thought." -Buddha.

Peace,
AuntieM