I am in the fifth week of being housebound with a foot surgery and of course I've had some time to think about some things. Okay, I will be honest, I have had A LOT time. And one thing I've had the absolute joy to discover is the power of rest. I am amazed to uncover the power of slowing down, the power of stopping. You know what? There really is some wisdom, and beauty to just pushing, "pause." When we rest, we make ourselves available to insights, thoughts, and even blessings that we would not be able to recognize, or see if we weren't still.
Every morning I start the morning outside, reading a few paragraphs from a self care book. After I finish reading, I leave some time to just be quiet and still. Sometimes, I can actually distinguish different birds within their calls. And of course sometimes my neighbor's blower will interject. This practice has slowly beginning to color, and filter my whole day.
Definitely skip the foot surgery, but I 100% recommend trying to carve out some time to stop, and get off the bus.
Don't push, strive or struggle- instead be still.
And talk about insights, turns out I had an excellent role model in front of me all along.
I enjoyed this positive post post surgery. My favorite line was "Don't push, strive, or struggle -- instead be still". There's some alliteration here and the punctuation used strengthens the sentence's meaning. Btw, I also love the pooch photo.
ReplyDeleteI'm inspired! I sometimes sit in the backyard and just listen and relax, but I should do it more often. Take a break from the "should dos" and, as you said, be still.
ReplyDeleteI went through ankle surgery in 2020 and, like you, I don't recommend it. The recovery is rough, as is the rehab. However, if you follow the doctor's orders, you'll be ready to function freely again!
ReplyDeletePause is a powerful source to gain back energy. Even small pauses can do wonders. Sometimes life forces us to pause and we realise only later how necessary it was. Wishing you a good recovery.
ReplyDeleteI appreciate your advice. I love the thought of listening to bird calls , and the reality of neighboring yard work! My friend had foot surgery and organized her mother’s recipes. When I visited her we had long, wonderful conversations. What might we all do with more of this quiet time? And I love your plot twist, introducing us to your mentor!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you gained some insights from the rest you got from your foot surgery. I had foot surgery in September and all I gained was boredom, loneliness, and more pain and deformity (see my slice today about this very topic!)! And the random knowledge about a bunch of weird topics that I watched documentaries about. No insight about life, but I can tell you all about lularoe, Juul, Uber, fyre fest, Ed Sheeran, Harry and Megan, my octopus teacher, and so many more!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree, that making time for oneself, slowing down (without an injury to push me, if possible!!) is a cornerstone of mental health. "Being" is wonderful antidote to "doing." Morna, it's a great time to soak up the luxury of being!
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