Aspects of Being
There's something about the end of the day that can, if allowed, feel like a sweet reckoning. Whether we've achieved our goals, set wheels in motion, or merely survived, it's a chance to reflect - even while deciding to shut the lights off early and welcome the rest. We can take inventory of the day's events or write it off, make peace with our dealings or entertain more fruitful notions. How we choose to end it, whether through rituals, meditation, or watching the day's "Instant Replays" can define a good part about our selves. It can be our line in the sand, the place that silently proclaims - I'm done now - for good or ill. This is valuable, for it gives us a microcosmic sense of closure in our daily chapters. For some, the end of the day is a white flag thrown up in surrender after one too many challenges. And for others it can be a triumphant feeling of having made a difference! There are also those who'd rather embrace oblivion and turn the world off as soon as stepping in the door from the outside. There are yet others who feel the need to have all their ducks in a row for the next one, already into the Tomorrow that hasn't arrived.... But there are moments even after all these, as many as we afford ourselves, where we have the opportunity to let go. Sleep may be the great equalizer in this realm as it is surely an underrated gift, but it's what we do with the moments in and before letting go that can grant small but precious realizations where time, schedules, agendas and pursuits no longer need dominate all our energy. Whether practicing
mindfulness is an absent habit, or had simply been too challenging to achieve,
this time is a small grace, an avenue available to all, yet often overlooked.
We can so easily get caught up in what's come to pass, and as well what
is still to come, forgetting that neither is actually accessible but through
our own thoughts and the power we give them. Would the world indeed stop
turning should we decide to rest in 'Now'? Perhaps this can better be a
time to grant ourselves a reprieve, the gentle permission to let the world
keep on turning without us - at least for a while....
The lovely coolness |