Slowing Down, Getting Our Bearings ...12/11/11

“Two kinds of gratitude: The sudden kind we feel for what we take; the larger kind we feel for what we give.”
Edwin Arlington Robinson

         Good evening everyone,
Welcome to the visitors of this inn. Thank you, for dropping by. 
      It's almost Monday: it's a bit before midnight, over here, on the Left Coast of America. I'm slipping in my Sunday gratitudes while I can. The weather is nippy. It's been raining off and on tonight. I need to bring in my bicycle. But first, my gratitudes.
1.  Unexpectedly, I spent today with a son; he needed help.
    I supported him as he took steps
regarding his work.  This morning, I was under the weather, tired. I didn't sleep well.  It prompted me to stay home. It worked for the best: I was available when he needed me. Normally, I'd be out of town.
     I enjoy the affection and appreciation I get from my sons. Other than my relationship with God, nothing is more important than the investments I make regarding my family's welfare.  
2. I'm thankful for the bearings I get when I slow down and have my Quiet Time. If we are going in the wrong direction, it doesn't help if we run in the opposite direction, if we are on the wrong bus. 
     The time I spend alone in the morning allow me to gain perspective. Sometimes I say, "hey, let me off this bus!"  I find myself heading the wrong way when:
a. I commit myself more than I should, when I allow the urgent to overrule the important. 
b. I let others make my decisions by allowing them to manipulate me. 
c. I don't trust my intuition. 
d. I place personalities above healthy principles.
    Slowing down, meditating, praying, journalling, processing what's going on in my life, allows me to see the big picture. It helps provides needed clarity when in the midst of a busy schedule. 
    Recently I changed my mind about some service work I had planned to do. I'm more than capable in doing it. I've done it before. I'm good at it. So what?
    Performing it would not be in my best interests. I'm happy I declined. Before, I allowed others to applaud me---cheer me on---to my own physical and emotional exhaustion. I'm thankful for standing in my integrity and for exercising boundaries. 
3. I took a nap after helping my son today. I'm glad I'm learning balance. As I said in my previous post, during this season, which can be hectic, if we are not careful, it's important for us to do something for ourselves. I did that by having a blissful time snoozing before I met with a client tonight. 
   I'm thankful for having the presence of mind to attend to my physical well-being. The headache I had found relief. All that was needed was for me to place the source of pain on a comfortable pillow, in a dark, quiet room. 
     Okay, you know the routine. You've heard my gratitudes. May I hear yours? I enjoy it when we have reciprocity, mutuality and enjoy community. Thanks!