Monday, April 14, 2014

Exchange Deadlines for Live Moments


I recently retired from full-time work. I've exchanged deadlines for live moments. Not long before I retired, a coworker said that someone she knew, once retired wondered how they ever had time to work. I'm feeling that way myself lately.

Another friend didn't want to retire because she thought she would be bored. But I had a long list of things that I wanted to do with all that free time. Not the least of which was finally being able to study music at the local junior college. Between part-time work and part-time school, my days are quite full. That's definitely trading deadlines for live moments every day. Music is more alive than anything I know.

From Juggling to Sitting

When I was working full time, there was such time pressure. Constantly juggling multiple deadlines. I
don't know how single working moms do it really, because I was so tired at the end of the day, I
barely had time or energy to take care of my home and myself and get up and do it again the next day. Now with fewer deadlines, I have the energy for live moments.

So I am very glad to have more time to meditate and study. I delight chanting the Gayatri as I do my morning routine. I luxuriate in the ability to spend a half hour to an hour every morning. It sets a beautiful tone for the day. On the days I skip it, I really miss it. I love making a dent in the unread books on my shelf. I love writing this blog. I just love having these live moments.

Walking Meditation

I have been practicing a walking meditation. My body forced me to do this when I had a serious sprain to my ankle, needing to be aware of every step in order to avoid re-injuring my ankle. I got some very serious training in that: Just walk; Don't think where you are going. That's how I injured myself to begin with. I was thinking about and looking where I was going, not where I was. That's exchanging a deadline for live moments.

How About You?

What do you do to bring more live moments into your life?



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