Messages From Carrie
Finding time to Center
September 7th, 2006
As we enter into the fall I've been musing again on the importance finding a grounded and centered place from which to make decisions. Fall is often such a busy time. We are starting into a new academic year; we are harvesting what the summer has grown and preparing for winter. In our culture it has become almost a virtuous thing to say, "I'm so busy I can't see straight." So many of our decisions are made on the fly, between one appointment and the next. My thoughts have been turning to the importance of taking the time and quiet moments to connect with the deepest parts of myself. If I am in conversation with what I love and value most, if I am familiar with the yearnings of my own heart and the whisperings of the spirit, if I am open to the idea of wonder, then my choices and decisions are less frantic and I'm able to find a calmer clearer perspective. There has never been a day when the world wasn't new. There has never been a morning that didn't hold the possibility of wonder and mystery. As we all enter into the gracious cooler days of autumn, I encourage us to deliberately create time to sit quietly and reflect, to get outside and walk, to have tea with a good friend, call a beloved relative, write a poem or begin a journal, put on a favorite piece of music and dance in the kitchen, pray if you find comfort in prayer, center down, gather in.. And then when we enter into all that activity it is with a new joyousness for life and a greater energy and clarity for important work ahead. Warmly, Carrie