Make time in your life for stillness

So, has the holiday craziness started for you yet? So much rushing, so much worrying, so much planning – the crazy energy is already flowing. I feel it at the grocery stores and the gas stations, and I can feel it as I greet people, known and unknown, in my daily travels.

Perhaps we need to unlearn some of our previous energetic behaviors, make different choices, and cultivate some new patterns for our wellbeing while we create a way to return to the real meaning of these sacred days.

Perhaps we need to re-learn and engrain the practice of “Be still and know …” And, if your head voice has already stopped reading this and said, “I can't”, perhaps it is your heart voice whispering, “I need to …” that, well, is the voice that needs to be heard.

When I was a kid, a frequent phrase used in my parents' house was, ”Settle down. Take it easy. Relax.” But today, in my own home, these phrases hold a different meaning. They urge me to practice the art of stillness. And my Italian heritage lovingly whispers, “La dolce far niente.” The joy of doing nothing. Not reading, not scrolling, not playing games, no TV, no music. Just be. And what a struggle that is!

Heading into Thanksgiving, Advent, Hanukkah, Yule and so many other special celebrations, we focus on all that calls out to be done. We make list after list after list and feel as if we have failed if we don't complete them. We focus on the doing with little time for reflection. Yet, simultaneously we complain about no time to relax, enjoy the stillness and reconnect with the real meaning of all of these sacred and celebratory days.

Just as with time spent in a church, on a mat, in a temple, on a prayer rug or in the forest, time for stillness does not have to last hours on end. A simple 15-minute respite of quiet nothingness does wonders for the body, mind and soul. It we can't find 15 minutes a few times a week, well, we might benefit from asking ourselves: Why? There is the story of the young Buddhist Monk asking the elder Monk how to meditate when he is so busy. The elder Monk gently teaches, “If you are not busy, meditate for 30 minutes. If you are very busy, for 60.” Wise teaching, this.

What is filling your heart lovingly at this time of year? Is it gratitude? Is it thankfulness for the gifts of this life? Is it joy at the relationships that you cherish? Within our many traditions, there is common ground. We all give thanks. We all have reason to be grateful. So, are we willing to take a few moments, disconnect from the busyness of the world and recharge by unplugging? Can we step away from the world for a few precious moments and plug in to the Source of our gratitude?

If we do, our hearts will smile, our brains will rest a bit and our bodies will relax and release some of the tension that builds up within us. Our whole being will take delight in the solitude, sense the abundance and, yes, offer thanks.

Yes, all of your joy, beauty and sense of wonder will, perhaps, bloom a bit and see the goodness that surrounds us, in spite of the chaos. And we can all be thankful for that.

May your tables as well as your hearts be full, may you count your blessings and give thanks. I certainly give thanks for all of you! Happy Thanksgiving. Happy Season of So Much!

The Reverend Dr. Deborah Darlington is a seminary graduate and ordained Interfaith Minister who celebrates the joy of Spirit with people of many paths. She can be reached for rites of passage, sacred celebrations and Inspirational Speaking at GraceMatters@TheSpaceForGrace.com.