STILL IN THE MIDST OF BUSY

Photo: Shawanna Kendrick, Chattanooga, TN)

By this point, my kids are grown and out of the house, I work at home, and there's a pandemic happening - all of which means I have ample opportunity, during the day, to be Still. It hasn't always been this way, and I understand the idea of having "ample time to be Still" sounds like a crazy luxury for those of you who are currently juggling kids and insane schedules, for instance. I can remember many days, when my kids were young and I was running a theatre company (while also working to abolish the death penalty in Tennessee), that I ran from the mintue I woke up until the minute fell into bed. (To be clear, I don't recommend this; my chronic busyness, combined with some tough life experiences, precipitated a health crisis from which I'm still recovering, decades later.)

How to find Stillness during the busy years? Start slowly. Start by carving out five minutes in the morning, if that's all you can manage. Eventually add five minutes at night. Wake up five minutes ealier, fall into bed five minutes later. Work up to ten minutes... Make a trade with your spouse or partner. Post-pandemic, trade Still time with a neighbor or friend. At work, slip out duirng your lunch hour to sit silently in your car for a few minutes, or work with your boss to establish a place to go at work that's quiet (imagine if every office had a "quiet room...")

Finding ways to be Still duirng the day might require some creativity in the beginning; but the Stillness, especially in busy times, pays such huge dividends.

Let us know how you carve out time for your practice.