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Balance In The Busy Season
By
Kate Hawkes
December 8, 2010 - 10:11am
Hello All,
Well I have plunged into this time of year with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanuka, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, by including a major move. I have moved into a house after years of being pretty nomadic (or recently in a small apartment) and in with a dear-heart man after years of living (happily!) alone.
I am reminded that along with the joys of family and partnership, of celebration, excitement and hard work, I need balance. I have made little time and know I need to (and will) make more for for creativity (writing, reading, letters to family and friends), being out in nature (hiking, on my horse), and just sitting in the morning sun with my coffee.
Taking care of body, mind and spirit includes soothing physical exercise and the challenge of moving way too many boxes of books with massage and morning stretching; and of finding new organization & routine in the the midst of change. Equally, this time of year and the new life I have been gifted, means allowing my heart and soul to soar joyfully and in wonder at all the gifts that each day provides, while acknowledging any anxiety as jobs are left and old ways of being in the world are subtly altered.
Even without personal changes, this time of year can be stressfull and demanding. I endeavor to stay centered, use the arts of talk with my soul, exercise in the real outside air and give myself planning and organizational structure to the extent possible, letting go of that which I cannot control.
How do you manage change? stress? newness?
Hi Kate!
December 22, 2010 - 9:18amGreat to hear from you. Glad to hear the move seems to have gone well. Change, stress and newness are something I thrive on as an Aries. I love to plow a new course and see the fruits of my labor. I hate to admit though, the process isn't without its hiccups. Initially when faced with a challenge, I all-too-often first freak out. I have to process something in my mind and get it straight first. This can be in the form of feeling sorry for myself that I have to get through the thing, or it can include a need to talk with everyone close to me to process how I will get through it, or painful physical response (headache, body aches) as I go through the stress. Sometimes I even embrace the process and think to myself, "OK, you're freaking out, you can do this. It's ok to freak out today, but tomorrow, you will attack that thing and get it done."
I'm pretty true to this process in most cases where there is a clear challenge at hand, and when I'm done with that initial phase, I do get busy working that problem. It can be hard to keep it all together this time of year--we struggle to focus on the true meaning of what's happening, what we're celebrating--and focusing on family and close friends. It is a good reminder from you to come back to center, and meditate, exercise, and planning where needed. Then there is that even bigger reminder: Letting Go of things out of your control.
Thank you. This is a good thing to consider two days before Christmas Eve.
Blessings, Peace, and Love,
-Christine
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