The Art of Being
I was talking with a friend the other day. She's a very smart, motivated and talented lady. I admire her greatly.
She mentioned something in particular that made me think. She said she once took some time off from the world.
We all need to do that. In this fast-paced world, we have forgotten how to just be. Words like self-care and other words are bandied about and it can get confusing.
The concept is a simple one. You can't take care of anything else unless you take care of yourself first. You have to be able to feed yourself, make messes, clean up your own messes, learn what makes YOU thrive as a person.
If you aren't thriving, if you aren't well-balanced, you cannot begin to nourish another and be any kind of real help to them.
I think many of us get caught up in taking care of others before we learn how to take care of ourselves properly.
There's a reason kids are supposed to go out in the world. There's a reason they have to fly the nest. It's hard to be alone. It's hard to be self-reliant. It's hard to confront the dark side of yourself and win.
It's necessary for growth as a human being. You cannot fully realize who you are as a human being until you do this. Master the art of being.
The sooner you do it, the faster you can come close realizing the nirvana that is the removal of self-doubt.
This one thing ..the desire for peace and harmony is an inherent desire in all humans.
How we have allowed ourselves as a species to degenerate to the point that we have to take a class to learn how to care for ourselves is a little bit ludicrous when you stop to think about it.
And instead of doing more with less, we are doing less with more. It's a topsy-turvy world.
My personal journey here started a couple of months ago. I am learning all kinds of things. Things I didn't even know about myself.
It's cathartic. It's good. It's painful. And it's wonderful.
I like brussel sprouts. Well, baby ones. With cheese and bacon. But, hey, I like them.
I dwell on the positive most of the time. I truly do.
I have a lot of hobbies I've neglected for years. I love to paint and to create. I love music. I'd love to learn to play the guitar and thanks to the advent of technology, I can do that now.
I have a cross-stitch project I've been meaning to finish for at least 10 years. It will be beautiful when it's done.
I love my animals. That one is hard because I'm a linear thinker and I resent interruptions. And they are always interrupting. All they want to do is be touched by me. But, I volunteered to care for them for the duration of their lives when I adopted them, and so I shall honor my commitment. What kind of people are we if we can't even honor our own personal commitments to ourselves?
I used to write daily. I don't know when I stopped. Or why. I don't think I am naturally depressed. I think as Einstein said "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
The art of being is finding out what you are. Who you are. And all that goes with it. It's necessary.
She mentioned something in particular that made me think. She said she once took some time off from the world.
We all need to do that. In this fast-paced world, we have forgotten how to just be. Words like self-care and other words are bandied about and it can get confusing.
The concept is a simple one. You can't take care of anything else unless you take care of yourself first. You have to be able to feed yourself, make messes, clean up your own messes, learn what makes YOU thrive as a person.
If you aren't thriving, if you aren't well-balanced, you cannot begin to nourish another and be any kind of real help to them.
I think many of us get caught up in taking care of others before we learn how to take care of ourselves properly.
There's a reason kids are supposed to go out in the world. There's a reason they have to fly the nest. It's hard to be alone. It's hard to be self-reliant. It's hard to confront the dark side of yourself and win.
It's necessary for growth as a human being. You cannot fully realize who you are as a human being until you do this. Master the art of being.
The sooner you do it, the faster you can come close realizing the nirvana that is the removal of self-doubt.
This one thing ..the desire for peace and harmony is an inherent desire in all humans.
How we have allowed ourselves as a species to degenerate to the point that we have to take a class to learn how to care for ourselves is a little bit ludicrous when you stop to think about it.
And instead of doing more with less, we are doing less with more. It's a topsy-turvy world.
My personal journey here started a couple of months ago. I am learning all kinds of things. Things I didn't even know about myself.
It's cathartic. It's good. It's painful. And it's wonderful.
I like brussel sprouts. Well, baby ones. With cheese and bacon. But, hey, I like them.
I dwell on the positive most of the time. I truly do.
I have a lot of hobbies I've neglected for years. I love to paint and to create. I love music. I'd love to learn to play the guitar and thanks to the advent of technology, I can do that now.
I have a cross-stitch project I've been meaning to finish for at least 10 years. It will be beautiful when it's done.
I love my animals. That one is hard because I'm a linear thinker and I resent interruptions. And they are always interrupting. All they want to do is be touched by me. But, I volunteered to care for them for the duration of their lives when I adopted them, and so I shall honor my commitment. What kind of people are we if we can't even honor our own personal commitments to ourselves?
I used to write daily. I don't know when I stopped. Or why. I don't think I am naturally depressed. I think as Einstein said "Everyone is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid."
The art of being is finding out what you are. Who you are. And all that goes with it. It's necessary.
Comments
Post a Comment