What is Saving Your Life Right Now?
“What is saving my life now is the conviction that there is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth. My life depends on engaging the most ordinary physical activities with the most exquisite attention I can give them. My life depends on ignoring all touted distinctions between the secular and the sacred, the physical and the spiritual, the body and the soul. What is saving my life now is becoming more fully human, trusting that there is no way to God apart from real life in the real world.” Barbara Brown Taylor- An Altar in the World I was reminded of this question from Barbara Brown Taylor herself, when I heard her ask it in a zoom presentation she did on dirt. (I enjoy her work so much, I’ll show up with dirt and follow where she leads. She did a 90-minute reflection on dirt, and I loved it!) In the presentation, she said if your answer was NetFlix and mac & cheese you might want to dig a bit deeper. I’m going to take her to task on that because a Netflix show IS saving my life right now! But we will get there! This is one of those questions that is a personal toolbox question. A question that can be used when we need a reset or feel ourselves starting to flail a bit. It’s a perfect question for the start of 2021. Collectively we started with so much hope, ready for a new beginning. Quickly (for me at least) the reality set in that 2020, the pandemic, etc. didn’t magically end when we turned the calendar. This question is a reminder to look at the little things. We all need saving. We need help, courage, bravery to face the things we must face. Sometimes the act of naming those things moves them from the column of ordinary to special, or from rote to ritual. Rote is something we do habitually without thinking. Rituals are behaviors we repeat over and over, with meaning and reverences. What in your life by naming honoring can you move from rote to ritual? “When tea becomes ritual, it takes its place at the heart of our ability to see greatness in small things. Where is beauty to be found? In great things that, like everything else, are doomed to die, or in small things that aspire to nothing, yet know how to set a jewel of infinity in a single moment?” ― Muriel Barbery, The Elegance of the Hedgehog What is saving my life right now? (in no particular order) Call the Midwife- If a BBC show can be considered sacred, this is. Every. Single. Episode leaves me pondering love, kindness, truth, beauty, faith. It’s a meditation on the transformative power of community. It’s a reminder that nothing is ordinary, that goodness is found in the dark corners. The nuns are inspirational in their simple yet profound kindness. The young midwives, figuring out how to be human in a world that is all too human. It’s magic and I watch an episode almost every night. (And I’m reading the books the series is based on. I recommend the books too! They are better than the series and that is saying something. They add so much context to the stories AND the characters. . all based on real people!) Morning Pages-This is a new practice. Julia Cameron author of, The Artist’s Way suggests writing three pages, longhand every morning. This is a practice that I have heard of and I’m all for it in theory. But, I’ve never undertaken the practice myself. Julia Cameron has a new book, The Listening Path. I started reading that, interested in the topic and practice. She insists in the introduction that Morning Pages are essential for anyone serious about the practice of listening. I thought I would try the practice. Here’s what I’ve learned. A) It’s hard. B) It’s a discipline. C) every day something in my long-form rambling clarifies an idea or concern. Every. Single. Day something from my morning pages has been an important insight. I keep picking up the pen out of curiosity about what I will learn. Cookbooks– A few months ago I realized that cooking for my family was not saving my life. It was annoying. When I stopped googling recipes and started using cookbooks the quality of food increased! Cooking dinner stopped being a chore and started being an important ritual. It’s magic. I moved cooking dinner from rote to ritual, by changing one thing, the source. I’m picky about the cookbooks I use. They must be written by a chef. I want recipes from people who know about chemistry and flavor. Now, planning meals for my family is FUN and the food is pretty good too! Current Favorite Cookbooks: Salt Fat Acid Heat (Persianish Rice with Slow-Roasted Salmon) Food 52 Genius Recipies (Perfect Oatmeal-a recipe for oatmeal. Yes. Life-changing) Milk Street Cookish (Chicken and Rice Noodles in ginger-hoisin broth) What is saving your life right now? If you name it and move it from rote to ritual you honor the gift it gives. If you like these questions, please consider SUBSCRIBING to The Art of Powering Down; Questions to Recharge Your Soul… Every week there is a question that will gently challenge you, encourage you, or help you live your life with more intention, grace, and purpose. (Sharing these reflections and questions with friends is the greatest compliment!)
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