Potami Beach, Samos - photo by me
"I'm so busy!"
"I have no bandwidth for this!"
"I'm not sure when I can fit this in - my schedule's crazy!"
Yeah, we've all been there. In our modern Western culture, busyness is a virtue. Not busy? You must be lazy, or procrastinating, or maybe kind of a loser, because...well, cool people have all kinds of stuff going on, right?
If one good thing has come out of this pandemic, it's the opportunity (for most of us, at least) to not be quite so busy all the time.
Most of us were forced to stay home. We had an ironclad excuse not to go out doing multiple errands, seeing multiple people, making multiple commitments. It kind of sucked, but also...not.
How many people have talked about the blessing of being home with their families and reconnecting with them in meaningful ways? How many have begun quietly creative pursuits, or started meditating and doing other forms of self-care? Despite the fear and worry of the pandemic, something oddly enriching came out of it.
I discovered floating, for example. (Pretty great, btw!)
Now comes the test.
We're getting back to "normal". Going back to our workplaces, seeing our friends, making those plans. And that's all soooo great!
Mostly.
But I hope we don't completely forget the upside from what has otherwise been an awful experience. Remember the peace and quiet. Maybe try to find ways to voluntarily s-l-o-w d-o-w-n. Take those deep breaths. Maybe skip a party for a quiet night at home. Just sit on the front stoop or the back yard or wherever and look out over whatever there is to look at and just let your mind let go.
Socrates was totally on board with this, incidentally. He knew that "busy" didn't necessarily equal "good life", and he had a warning.
Be well and peaceful, all.
Warmly,
Barbara