Rhythms

I walk. I walk to move my body, to clear my mind, to soothe my soul. I walk to manage my anxiety, to meditate, to think.

Today as I was walking, I was thinking about rhythms. When I walk, I hear the rhythm of my feet hitting the pavement. I hear the rhythm of my breath. I listen to the two of them blend together.

It soothes me. I thought about recording the rhythms and posting it. My next thought was No.  It wouldn’t work. We each have our own rhythms. Mine is not yours.

The day has rhythms, the seasons have rhythms, year has rhythms. Our body has rhythms. Today my mind and body were not in harmony. I have a schedule and a routine, you see.  There is a route to follow and a pace to keep. There are things to be done by certain times, you know… 

Today my body said, “Nope.”  My first thought, “This is bullshit.”  My second thought, “Just show up. See where this goes.”  So I slowed down. Accepted my body’s pace. I remembered I didn’t sleep well, I overdid it working in the yard yesterday and didn’t drink enough water. I acknowledged things are a little different today… Here’s what happened. I found the rhythm. I heard my breath sync with my feet. The pace was slower, but the rhythm was there.

I thought about how the rhythm of 2020 has been unlike previous years. How the routines have been disrupted. How people keep trying to label the “new normal.”  I will be honest. I don’t think we have hit the new normal yet. We are still in the transition, in the not-yet-knowing.

What do we do with that when we want the “normal” again?

Find your rhythm. Find YOUR personal rhythm. Seriously.

Sit down, take a deep breath, and think about it. Write it out so you can see it.

When are you most alert and most able to focus? When do your best ideas come to you? When are you hungry?  When do you get tired? When do you want to go to sleep? How much people interaction do you need? What kind of people interaction? When do you most enjoy interacting with others? When do you feel most comfortable spending time with yourself? Where do you go to feed your soul/spirit? How often do you need to go there?

Now comes the interesting part. Look at how you live your day. Does your daily living actually reflect your personal rhythm? If yes, AWESOME! If no, what adjustments can you make? Our lives intersect with others. We can’t always live completely by our own rhythms. But can we adjust some things? Can we accept where we are, at this moment in life, and adjust a thing or two to move us closer to our rhythm?

In this uncertainty and change, taking the time to see, hear, and understand ourselves can provide some of the stability we are seeking.

 #selfknowledge #selfawarenss #selfacceptance