Do you remember childhood? There were times when your dad or mom would give you no choice about your activities and send you directly to your room for what is now called, "time out". Yesterday, I was reminded of those times in life that are mandatory.
As part of completing the grief for my sister that I shared in my last post, it became clear to me that the lack of balance between my mind and my heart could finally be addressed. Finally because it had existed for so long. But, for the vast majority of my life, I wasn’t even aware of it. My mind protected me, much less vulnerable than the heart, it can anticipate, analyze, and judge with amazing speed. Capable of amazing feats and equally amazing errors.
My mind loved the news, broadcast, cable, websites and blogs. The mind loved to analyze, and technology made it possible to find material anytime and, with smart phones, anywhere! Very exciting, but a little much. So, I decided to live without expectation and limit news to the areas that my vocation requires. This was actually quite successful. Listening to music when driving had a calming effect, even when the selections were from Stevie Ray Vaughan or Derek Trucks, with driving rhythmn and smokin’ guitar.
Almost everything became a surprise, which is something experienced every minute by the average one year old. And, it was like being a child again. Opening the heart was trading stress for vulnerability and expectations for surprise. And all the surprises were good. But, balance is not just a matter of heart and mind. It also comes from how we spend our time. As I became busier, the time for exercise and meditation began to be replaced by another project, phone call, or meeting. My time management was better, but rapidly heading to the frantic pace of the past. Like a child, I needed parental intervention.
I had heard it might rain here in Virginia Beach earlier in the week, and, for whatever reason I have always liked rain. So, hearing about the rain made me look forward to the clouds which began drifting slowly in on Wednesday night. Thursday morning the clouds weren’t floating in anymore, they were flying in on the high winds of a Nor’easter that used to be a hurricane. By afternoon the rain had been coming down, and hard, all day.
Driving home, the puddles on the road became larger until the water came near the door handle of my car. Grabbing my iPhone as the car began to get deeper, I filmed the whole experience to share and to keep my mind off the lunacy of driving with the other traffic into unknown depths. Thankfully, the car never stalled making it through the half mile flooded section of the road without incident. Isn’t modern technology wonderful! I figured on recharging the phone on Friday, which would have been fine, until the power went off with a bang around nine o’clock. And a memory triggered, that now, makes me smile.
I knew that i needed to unplug and recharge, but with so many things that had to be done, I would never do it without being told. And, like the child that I was forty years ago, I knew not to argue when your mother makes something mandatory. My mom has been gone for years, but, I’ll bet she is smiling wherever her spirit is now.
Mother Nature turned off my lights, my computer, and eventually even my iPhone. And for a day, it sure was fun to be sent to time out!
Don’t mess with Mother Nature and don’t mess around. Get unplugged and recharged. Intent is back on-line, thankfully, so catch up but leave time for a walk, or quietly meditate, maybe even relax outside. Winter will soon be here, and probably a few more instructions of the mandatory sort from Ma Nature will be coming your way soon!
Before you unplug, you can watch the video of the drive through the flood by clicking here: Flood
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