(Image by Alex Shuper for Unsplash)
This month I want to explore how we draw lines in the sand…IF we manage to draw them, in order to protect our time, focus and energy. “Boundaries” is a tired word - but even so - without them, life becomes a chaotic maelstrom of stress, fatigue, - and as I was again reminded this week - illness.
Yes I’m dragging around a stupid cold. Yes it’s probably my husband’s fault. He works at a hospital and one of the “bene’s” in hospital work of any kind is that you get to bring home - and share - whatever bug of the month is on offer.
I’m not bitter. Just cranky and sick of being sick.
Some of this is my fault too. I suspect that the body mirrors whatever is off-kilter in the mind and heart. As much as I’ve tried to build in awareness of my own tendency toward calendar overkill - I’ve slipped into too much busyness and multitasking. Last week I actually caught myself thinking “What else can I be doing while I’m doing what I’m doing?”
Eeek! And Ugh.
So now, on the cusp of the lunar eclipse, I invite you to get curious about how you might be “eclipsing” your own time, focus and energy. What are the internal beliefs that tell us we are not enough? Who told us we have to “earn” our place in the world? What saboteurs are lurking beneath the surface of our awareness?
Who is truly in charge here anyway?
We’re on the cusp of Spring. Time to shake out the cobwebs. And time too, to align the body with what the mind knows. Here’s what I’m going to try today, and I offer this to you as a place to start:
You’ll need:
Several small pieces of paper
One larger piece of paper
2 pens one black, one red
A small bowl of salt, or dirt
On a piece of paper - write down what matters to you most. These are what you want and need to make time for: a work project, a loved one, your kids, needed self-care etc. Write down at least 3 things, but not more than 5. This is your first exercise in prioritization.
Once you have your list, take the red pen and draw a box around the items. This is your inviable boundary. Place a red dot in front of each item as well to “ground” it in your mind.
Put the page where it is visible - on your computer, your desk, wherever you will be reminded of what is most important.
Now, take the small slips of paper and write down with the black pen what does NOT matter most, but is still weighing heavy on you. One item per slip. Commitments you regret making. Habits that no longer serve you. Relationships that have run their course and need to be released. Self-defeating beliefs.
Take each slip and rub it into the salt or the dirt. This is the cleansing action. Then take the whole mess of paper slips, salt and dirt and burn them in the fireplace or flush the whole mess down the toilet.
The idea and the action of ritual intrigues me.
Our minds are so overloaded with what we “know”. I wonder if ritual might be a way to invite our physical and spiritual awareness to align and empower us as we pursue our goals.
That’s what I’m curious about this month. And I’d love to know if anything shifts for you once you’ve done the simple ritual outlined in this post. And if so, I’m curious how long the effect might last….