Breathing Space

holy experience


Here it is, the 13th day of the new year already--almost half way through the first month.

I have many friends that are firm about not making New Year's Resolutions and I respect their point of view that there is nothing magical about January 1st and that most people break their resolutions by January 10th.

Myself I do enjoy the days between Christmas and New Years as thinking and praying time, and starting the new year with a set of goals to press towards in the year ahead. This year I am going slower in thinking everything through though. It occurred to me that if I want to make changes, then making them one at a time is saner than trying to start several new habits or projects all at once.

I have made a determined, and successful (so far) effort, to get to bed at 10.00 most nights. I have naturally woken up earlier--often getting up by 4.30, and what a blessing that has been! At last I have that unrushed time I struggled to find consistently until now; just to read, pray and listen. It feels very good.

While practicing that first good step of the year, I am thinking about other parts of the day and how to structure it better. I finally gave up trying to find a way to fit more things into less time. In fact I had a lightbulb moment recently. I need transition times between one thing an another! It seems so obvious but it hadn't occurred to me before. Today I heard it put another way: "breathing space." It is a way of setting a schedule up for success. We aren't automatons going from one time slot to another. I don't want to experience life that way either. I do need structure and a framework--I just work better that way and accomplish more--but ahhh, it feels good to have breathing space built in. :)

So, here's to living peacefully, and breathing...slowing down, but doing more that really matters.

Comments

Marilyn Yocum said…
Yes! This is so important and I'm glad you wrote about it.
8:45 AM
Deidra said…
Late last year I started getting up at 4:45 each morning. It went against every fiber of my being but I am so glad I started doing that. I get extra time in the morning to, yes, breathe. And after work, more time because of all I get done in those early morning, quiet hours.
9:05 AM
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