Simmering
Howard Thurman, an African-American theologian, mystic, and founder of the
Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples in San Francisco, used to advise people
not to just leap out of bed in the morning, but instead to pause for a few
minutes upon waking to let things "simmer." I thought of that when
Dr.
Dale Atkins said during the New Morning show on
Clarity that one of her five S's for a balanced life is
"Savor."
Simmering—and savoring—gives you time to become aware of
important things about the upcoming day beyond your "To Do" list. When I take
those extra few moments in the morning, sometimes in bed, sometimes over a cup
of coffee and my journal, I can assess how I'm feeling physically and
emotionally, look at what I need to attend to during the day on a soul level,
and identify who might need my support and where I might need support. I
also use those moments to remember that it's a new day and what happened
yesterday is in the past. Sometimes I find I need to summon my energy (I'm not a
morning person), especially if it's still attending to yesterday's issues and
news.
Sometimes, too, letting things simmer is not enough to get me in
balance so that I can see clearly what's right in front of me today. But to help
in those times, I'm taking two more pieces of advice from today's show. Another
one of Dr. Atkins' sanity saving S's is "Surroundings." I do have
special places that nurture and restore me, but my favorite, Antigua in the
Caribbean, is a little hard to get to on the spur of the moment. But Dr. Atkins
is right; I can go there in my mind's eye, summoning up the peaceful harmonious
feelings I experience when I am there. I can also look at pictures that take me
there. There's even a virtual tour online of my favorite beach.
The
second suggestion came from
Skip
Ewing, a singer/songwriter and ordained Buddhist priest in the tradition of
Thich Nhat Hanh. We're currently putting together an e-course on
Practicing
Spirituality with Thich Nhat Hanh, so I have been trying out some of his
suggestions for becoming aware, getting clear about what is important, and
living a balanced life. Ewing gave a simple practice that I really like:
"Take a breath and be happy that you are breathing."