Space + Time

“Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions searched for.” Maya Angelou

“Stepping out of the busyness, stopping our endless pursuit of getting somewhere else, is perhaps the most beautiful offering we can make to our Spirit.”   Tara Brach

“Forget the to-do list and create a to-be list.” Kelly Sullivan Ruta

It’s December, holiday time – the time of year where we are all supposed to be in the best mood and feeling love and joy and peace and all good things. Well that’s a tall order, but this is my birthday month and I am pretty happy that I have given myself the best gift of all: space and time.

Whenever I would hear about someone taking a sabbatical or time off from work, I would have a twinge of envy. Since I am self-employed, I have never felt like I could ask my very demanding boss (ME!!!) for that same indulgence. I have been blessed that my Zoom classes have been filled and now some live gigs are happening again, but I just felt I needed to have a month where I could be quiet and have nothing to plan for. The idea that I have a full month to just enjoy the holiday – but mainly create some stillness in my mind, heart, and soul – feels like the ultimate self-care!

I learned years ago that this is a time when our souls and spirits crave going inside, getting quiet, and resting. It is against our nature to have this time of darkness be filled with parties, crowds, and noise. An interesting fact that I learned about the origin of Christmas wreaths: In the Pagan tradition, the farmers would stop plowing their fields and take the wheels off of their carts, bring them inside and decorate them with leaves and fruit signifying the end of the harvest and the time of rest. Whether or not this is true I don’t know, but I believe we all crave a bit of quiet in this noisy world at the darkest time of year. 

Speaking of noise and quiet: I was so impressed when I was at the Phoenix airport recently and found a beautiful chapel in the middle of the bustling airport. Walking into the chapel I felt a sense of calm and was amazed that they also offered a “quiet room” where you could go and be totally immersed in a room set up for overly sensitive people who craved total quiet. I left feeling refreshed and so grateful that this airport would care about people in this way!

So, in this holiday time I hope you can carve out a bit of quiet for yourself in the midst of all that is going on in the world. I end this year being so grateful for all your support in reading these newsletters, coming to my virtual and live events, and listening to my music. 

I wish you a happy holiday season and look forward to connecting in the New Year!