Maybe you are too busy to read this little story of mine. Never mind then. But maybe, you will take a few minutes to pause and keep on reading.
We all seem to be so busy. No doubt, there are times we are busy indeed. As an example, I’ll take one of my sons. He works full time, has three small children, and at the moment his wife is recovering from an operation. In addition, a week from now they will be moving into their new home. He is very busy with packing, organizing, helping with homework, driving kids to their activities, and going to work. Young parents are busy, no doubt about that.
On the other hand, many of my retired friends also seem to be as busy as ever. They take part in so many activities. Their calendars are as full as if they were a CEO of a large company or a young parent, like my son. Why?
Why do we keep ourselves so busy that we have no time left for an unplanned event or an unexpected visitor? My guess is that many of us choose to be busy. Do we enjoy all the things we do? If so, I guess there’s nothing wrong with it. Maybe it’s just me who thinks we should take more time for pausing, reflecting, smelling the flowers along the way, watching the sunset, observing the little bird picking up seeds, listening to the wind or the rainfall, and stopping to chat with the neighbor and ask,” How are you?” Or simply take time to visit a friend.
This topic, ‘busy’ came to my mind when I invited several friends for a little gathering at my house to celebrate my birthday. Many accepted my invitation. Others responded that they wouldn’t have time, which of course I absolutely understood. After all, it was a workday and people were already busy with Christmas shopping.
When I think about the word “busy,” a video clip I once saw comes to mind. Through a birds-eye view, it showed an intersection of streets with pedestrians walking and crossing roads on an extremely busy morning in a large city. Like ants, you could see them running back and forth, going here and there.
Whether I am in a busy phase of life or not, I like to take time out to pause. Maybe even more during a busy phase. When I pause, I meditate, deliberately stop what I am doing. There’s no need to call it a meditation, we can just call it taking a break. My pause allows me to be aware of my breathing, or maybe even more, it’s being aware of what’s breathing me. Having control over my breath, slowing it down, brings me immediately into a calmer state of mind.
For me, feeling my breath also means to feel my heart, which takes me back to a more coherent state of mind. I then regain my ability to get an overview, set priorities again, and choose the next thing that really needs attention. In other words, listen to my inner voice…
I have noticed that so many people avoid listening to their wiser selves. They might be afraid of that little voice telling them to slow down. Or that the voice might tell them something they don’t want to hear. If they did listen, they might have to change something. Some have gotten so far away from their inner voice that they can’t go back, they can’t admit or don’t pause long enough to realize that they might have taken a wrong path. Maybe they think they might find something they regret or look like a fool in the eyes of the others. They would much rather run, run on the fast track, even if it means running around in a circle. To stay busy might mean I don’t have to pay attention to my inner voice besides keeping busy means I have an active life.
“Stay active,” that’s what even doctors tell you. To stay active is the theme of the time. “That’s what keeps you healthy,” we are told. Whoever rests, rusts. Today this seems to be the trend.
My intention is not to judge. Everyone can live according to their own gusto. We all can choose our own way of life, at least we fortunate ones who are living in a free country with enough money, shelter, and a stable system. I simply believe that taking time to pause has value. For me, it does and gives me a sense of staying connected to my inner guidance.
Getting older I would like to celebrate birthdays, get together with friends and family, and celebrate life. There’s no way of knowing whether it will be my last. My friends might be too busy to join in on this celebration, but I bet they would not be too busy to take the time to come to my funeral. I have often wondered, why people will cancel all sorts of important meetings when there’s a funeral to go to but will not cancel anything to see their friends or dear ones when they are still alive. We might think we still have time to do this later until we realize that there is no longer a “later.” It’s like with a rainbow, if you are too busy to see it when it’s there you might not see it at all because by the time you “have time” it might be gone.