I woke up this morning thinking about my grandfather who was born on April 21st of 1919 and died on December 14th of 2016 having lived a very full life of 97 years. He was a man of integrity and discipline with rigidity around time because he knew that time was a form of currency that you can never get back and so he spent it well.
Today was the warmest day of the year in Portland thus far. I was fortunate to have the day off to spend time outside admiring all of the gorgeous spring flowers and trees illuminated by the sun. When the sun is out in this city and the temperature warms up, this place for me feels as close to paradise as when I'm swimming in the oceans of Maui.
After mindful walking in the park, I was gifted with an especially inspiring yoga class where I could feel creativity pouring out of my heart and mind as I tried to remain focused on giving time to appreciate my body and love my breath.
My yoga teacher said a few things that sparked curiosity and calmed my spirit. The first was when she said the words, 'big bad world'. I thought to myself, 'that's an interesting way to think of things', but then it dawned on me that it is today's truth in many ways.
Decisions are being made for us that make no sense, things feel extremely out of our control, and people are grappling with feeling unsafe, anxious, scared, and sad as they drown in despair from not knowing what to do or how to change external factors that influence their internal landscape.
The second thing my yoga teacher said was, 'contentment is available for us with every breath, in every moment'. My brain decided to put these two phrases together as a problem and a solution. By no means am I saying that taking time to do yoga and focus on your breath is going to actually solve the state of the world we are currently living in.
What I am saying is that finding ways to relax, ground down, and connect with your self through body and breath can help to alleviate anxiety and depression and calm your fears. The more helpful thing we can do for one another as a society right now is to take care of our own self so that we can be of help in taking care of others.
Time is a currency that you cannot get back. The way we spend our time says so much about who we are, what we value, and how we desire to live day to day, moment to moment. I believe that one of the best ways we can help one another is to improve the collective consciousness of our planet by engaging in daily practices of self care, otherwise know as self love.
By taking the time to manage our own anxieties and fears and find ways to be aware of what remains good, we can brave these difficult and stress inducing times. We can invest time in connecting with our own self and others to remind us that this big bad world continues to hold an amazing amount of magnificent energy, beauty, and goodness.
Take time to smell and admire the flowers.
It’s not about time, it’s about choices. How are you spending your choices?
Beverly Abamo – Author