ANOTHER NEW BEGINNING: #8 To Remain Still

8

To Remain Still

 

Imagine

sinking
into steaming water.
So relaxed you cannot move.

Egrets

turn the air white

with swirling feathers.

Ever moving, while you remain still.

Fearful

of sprouting roots,

you ask forgiveness

And vow to stop the madness.* 

*Does the madness represent society’s expectation that one must always be actively productive? (Or could it be your expectation of yourself?) 

 

In this world of perpetual motion, taking a break to relax and revitalize has become a forbidden fruit picked from the tree of technology. Wireless frequencies branch out to claim our attention and steal our time. Alarms awaken us to each frenetic new day. Beeping announces a caller on line-one while pulsing sounds alert us to a caller on line-two. Buzzers remind us of scheduled meetings and lunch teleconferences. Emails and text messages update our agenda by the minute. 

It is difficult to imagine taking time to sink into a soothing bath. Or even a few extra moments to allow a refreshing shower to relieve tension and wash away the ravages of our frenzied pace. Is the madness out of our hands? Do others dictate the use of our time? 

No. 

Knowing that goals and purpose are important, we’ve made our own decisions. The pace we set can be regulated according to needs. But there is danger in the conviction that activity itself is what makes the goal or purpose important. 

Balance career with spurts of relaxation and recreation. Allow the madness within your personal space to fade. Will that alleviate the madness around you? Not necessarily. 

But it could make it easier to accept or ignore those who thrive on chaos and drama. With your iPhone ringer turned off, your computer shut down, and your e-Reader charging in airplane mode, you might even come to pity those who can’t stop to appreciate the silence.