“Today is my tomorrow. It’s up to me to shape it, to take control and seize every opportunity. The power is in the choices I make each day. I listen to myself. I eat well. I sleep well. I shape me.”
Dear Universe,
It happened all at once.
I arrived at the gym and grabbed my mp3 player and Kindle from my purse. I was excited to work out, listen to some upbeat music and catch up on some reading.
Except my batteries were dying. My Kindle, seeming annoyed with me and my neglectful ways, popped up with a warning to immediately plug it in. My mp3 player pretended to turn on before it thought better of it and gave up.
I could have used my phone, but the thing was that needed to be charged too.
It looked like I would have to have an old-fashioned type of work out, one without my music and my books. In other words, I would be bored. Having those things helps my workout go faster, makes it more enjoyable for me.
I was mad at myself. How had I forgotten to charge all of my electronics?
As I sweated it out on the elliptical, the irony of this hit me at full-force.
Of course I would forget to charge my devices. After all, I often forget to recharge myself.
Because I’m the type of person who hits the ground running—after a couple cups of coffee, that is—I often go, go, go with very little time to stop, stop, stop.
Most days this is fine. I cruise through the day with great energy and enthusiasm, only crashing later in the night when I rest my head on the couch or bed.
But sometimes the routine of moving at lightning speed, trying to do it all —and doing it all at once—can catch up with me.
It seems to happen in an instant. It’s the moment when you are juggling, keeping a good pace, impressing yourself with your skills, until suddenly the rhythm shifts, a ball drops, then another tumbles, everything crashing down.
It’s the moment when you look down and realize your battery is close to zero and you need to be recharged, rested, restarted or rebooted.
It can be a physical drain or an emotional one. It doesn’t matter. The result is the same; you can no longer go and just need to stop for a while and revitalize yourself.
Maybe that’s a nap. Maybe it’s taking a five minute meditation break or reading in solitude. Maybe it’s chatting with your best friend for a few minutes. Maybe it’s just taking the time to have a cup of tea.
“What drains your spirit drains your body. What fuels your spirit fuels your body.”
Usually I am better at remembering to charge all my precious devices. (In fact, I have a few things plugged in as I write this.) Multiple times a day I check to make sure I have enough power and the second things are getting low I plug in, whether I’m in my bedroom, my car or my office.
Yet, when it comes to my (precious) self, I rarely do the same amount of checking in. I don’t stop, see how I’m feeling and act accordingly. Like so many of us, I don’t give it much thought… until the moment when my rhythm shifts and I come to halt.
That’s when I stop, re-evaluate and recharge.
The realization made me a little sad. Why is that I’m so sensitive to my devices’ needs or my car (can’t be running too low on gas) more than I am with myself? (Sometimes, anyway.) Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Thanks, Universe, for the realization that I must check in and plug in a bit more. I have to make an effort to be better about this.
After all, I have books to read, music to listen to and workouts to get to.
But I think I’ll take a rest first.
With Gratitude,
A
