This morning I found myself rushing, rushing because I wanted to finish an article I had been writing. I was rushing to get the dishes done (I broke a glass) – this should have been my first realisation of a sign, rushing to sweep the floor (the wind showed me who was boss) rushing to make the bed up (my beautiful cat, Zebbie, decided it was playtime and if I didn’t comply, let’s just say the bedding was kept as ransom), rushing back and forth; getting a load of washing done, I rushed outside with the wet laundry in my arms, I mean who needed a basket? There were after all just a couple of items in this bundle and I could hold them without one… and bam, most of my load slipped out my hands onto the dry winter dust which had been collecting itself on the pavement (waiting for me I’m sure). This was, after all, a morning filled with conspiracy against me.
And so I stopped, I looked down at the clothing (black clothing, my first stroke of luck) as I dropped the socks and shirt that were left in my hands, and I looked up at the sky. Realising what I had been doing all morning, ignoring all the signs I said “Thank you” out loud to the heavens. I am a believer in signs and have been asking for them for years. “Show me a sign”, I recall asking as I stare at the pile of now dirty wet clothing on the floor. I have invested my time to read books about this subject because it is important to me, but I had got caught up, caught up in my thoughts and my perception of what I had to get done.
After returning the clothing to the machine for another wash cycle, I made a cup of coffee and went and sat in the doorway on the floor in the morning sun and I just enjoyed the moment – tranquil, quiet, peaceful warmth filled me up. The aroma of the coffee, the smell of morning, a deep breath in, a deep breath out, the light from the rays of the sun, the birds chirping – the Hadedas echoing their ‘haa-haas’, my dogs playing with my cats on the grass, I took a moment and I just slowed down.
Straight after that, I wrote the article I had been rushing to write, and I wrote it with graceful ease, and now I am writing this post for my blog and another story of a lesson from a hadeda. I somehow doubt I would have been this inspired to write so much had I not just stopped this morning.
The joy of slowing down is yours; take that couple of necessary minutes for yourself. 5 minutes, 10 minutes, my goodness any minute, just stop and say to yourself “I am worthy” and take your few minutes’ time-out. It is, after all, your life.
Slowing down this morning taught me that it makes things around you smooth and effortless; even if you still have a million things to do, you will get them done, and the quality of getting them done will be better than rushing through them.
It also taught me that sometimes, it’s the smallest things that make the most impact – like the memory of watching my cats and dogs playing still makes my heart so full.
Have a blessed and aware-filled day.
Much Love