March has been a month of restoration for me. I have openly
admitted in one of my previous blogs that I believe I suffer from SAD
(Seasonal Affective Disorder). I’m not telling anyone anything they don’t
know, but this winter has been particularly brutal in snow and sub-zero
temperatures. Here in western Pennsylvania, we didn’t get it as bad as the east
coast, but it wasn’t easy.
I desperately needed the mid-winter break that my husband
and I took to sunny Florida in the beautiful city of St. Augustine. We went
with friends, so that made the break even better. Dining out, walking the
beach, collecting shells, bottles of wine.
I don’t live a particularly stressful life. I no longer work
in a paid position, but I am an active volunteer and working toward writing a
book. Those who know me well will testify I am a woman of action. Getting
things checked off a list is my general modus operandi. Before one task is
completed, my brain is fast-forwarding to the next project or event.
Because of
this dark winter, I felt my creativity dropping off, patience thinning more
quickly than usual and diminishing energy. I know I wasn’t operating on all
mental and physical cylinders. My soul needed that break. My brain needed that
break. I just needed that break.
While I was away, a class launched at my church on
contemplative living and developing spiritual practices. A United Methodist pastor
friend of mine named Judy, who lives at the Zen
Center of Pittsburgh, teaches the class. Although she serves the United
Methodist Church, she has deliberately chosen to live at a location that
provides that quiet and peace she needs to live a contemplative life. It is a
blessing to our church that she shares some of these learned practices with us.
I attended a retreat last year where Judy taught the group
about the spiritual practice of breath prayers, allowing us to live the
scripture, based on Romans 12:12 (NIV) 12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in
affliction, faithful in prayer.” She coached each of us into developing an
individualized breath prayer that we could use multiple times a day.
Our current classes pull from many interdenominational resources and practices, including the use of, Lectio Divina (Latin for "Divine Reading"). It is a traditional Benedictine practice of scriptural reading, meditation and prayer intended to promote communion with God and to increase the knowledge of God's Word.
Traditionally, Lectio Divina has four separate steps: read; meditate; pray; contemplate. We first read a passage of Scripture, and then reflect upon its meaning. We follow with prayer and contemplation on the Word.
We are also working on the skill of learning silence and being still, as in Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.” For an extrovert like me, this is a tough practice to master. However, I find that five minutes of silence and meditation is much easier than I ever thought possible. Just like an athlete begins their training with small steps and growing into more challenges, I hope to extend my ability to be silent for longer periods.
Who among us can take off a few weeks every time we’re
overstressed or mentally overloaded? Even if you don't have time to take a
weekend or even a full day off, you can work relaxation into your daily life to
the point where you may not need to take extended periods away. Strive to
maintain a balance in your everyday life. It’s important to make yourself a
priority. Find a way. Explore practices that can bring the peace and serenity
you need to serve your family and obligations.
Terri Guillemets,
who calls herself a quotation anthologist says, “If you can't get quiet enough
to hear yourself, your life is too loud.”
I need to keep reminding myself of that.
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