Wow Erin this is a powerful example. What I’m taking from it is how empowering it is to serve your needs fully as a way to move ahead, instead of just pushing through and doing everything. And it’s a courageous move in this world that makes access and financial sustainability so difficult. I’m rooting you on and I’m taking this as a reminder of how important it is to know what we need when. ❤️
Crazy me, even after 16 years of retirement, I am still so programmed by my work ethic that I think days when I "accomplished nothing" are bad; that reading or watching TV during the daytime is like playing hooky; and that the weekend is just that - days off. I can't seem to break those old habits and ways of thinking.
Diana here’s the thing. I don’t think you’re “crazy”. I think this is the way most of us have been wired and frankly I think it’s limiting our access to joy. For me, it’s about unlearning and then learning new patterns again and I’ll tell you, it’s hard for me! But I do know this. The more we try to disrupt the pattern, the more we connect to what we really deserve which is ease in our bodies. Meaning that if a day can have ease and then we disrupt that ourselves by feeling bad, then we have lost more power. Think of relearning a new pattern as a way of restoring power. And also I’m with you in this relearning (and I’m guessing others would agree that we are all in the same boat!)
Two years ago, we decided we wanted to sell our property in Calfornia and move to the southern Oregon coast. The challenge in that is that we live on an acreage that belonged to her parents and they were both collectors. My wife is also a collector. So we have buildings and rooms full of things that need to be sorted, sold, given away, thrown away, or packed up to be moved.
While we've made some progress, a lot actually, there is still so much more that needs to be done. After the first year, I felt frustrated at our pace. But since then i've taken a step back and realized that there is joy in being a caretaker of this ten acres. It's true that the daily maintenance takes up a lot of my time. And I will continue chipping away at downsizing all the extra stuff. But I have let go of my original timeline. And I'm learning to be present in whatever daily activity I have here. I don't see it as a failure of our plan, but a new perspective and we will probably move eventually.
Rick I can’t tell you how much I love this! It’s really a message of finding the joy in where we are. Sounds so cliche but it’s all and everything we have. And this is inspiring me to keep chipping away on my own home clean out as a way to stay present.
An image came to mind reading this - of, stepping back from crossing a railroad track or a busy road - maybe moving to another crossing, different pathway or waiting! 🙏
We’ve been rewarded for SO long for our productivity. And taught to look around and make sure we’re out hustling everyone else. It’s a hard lesson to unlearn. Excited to see another physician on the journey. I’m rooting for you and hope you have a GREAT summer!
It’s so much unlearning right Stacy? Gratitude for your solidarity. The medical training culture in particular perpetuates the conditioning. You’re “weak” if you can’t push through. So glad to meet you here!
Wow Erin this is a powerful example. What I’m taking from it is how empowering it is to serve your needs fully as a way to move ahead, instead of just pushing through and doing everything. And it’s a courageous move in this world that makes access and financial sustainability so difficult. I’m rooting you on and I’m taking this as a reminder of how important it is to know what we need when. ❤️
Crazy me, even after 16 years of retirement, I am still so programmed by my work ethic that I think days when I "accomplished nothing" are bad; that reading or watching TV during the daytime is like playing hooky; and that the weekend is just that - days off. I can't seem to break those old habits and ways of thinking.
Diana here’s the thing. I don’t think you’re “crazy”. I think this is the way most of us have been wired and frankly I think it’s limiting our access to joy. For me, it’s about unlearning and then learning new patterns again and I’ll tell you, it’s hard for me! But I do know this. The more we try to disrupt the pattern, the more we connect to what we really deserve which is ease in our bodies. Meaning that if a day can have ease and then we disrupt that ourselves by feeling bad, then we have lost more power. Think of relearning a new pattern as a way of restoring power. And also I’m with you in this relearning (and I’m guessing others would agree that we are all in the same boat!)
Two years ago, we decided we wanted to sell our property in Calfornia and move to the southern Oregon coast. The challenge in that is that we live on an acreage that belonged to her parents and they were both collectors. My wife is also a collector. So we have buildings and rooms full of things that need to be sorted, sold, given away, thrown away, or packed up to be moved.
While we've made some progress, a lot actually, there is still so much more that needs to be done. After the first year, I felt frustrated at our pace. But since then i've taken a step back and realized that there is joy in being a caretaker of this ten acres. It's true that the daily maintenance takes up a lot of my time. And I will continue chipping away at downsizing all the extra stuff. But I have let go of my original timeline. And I'm learning to be present in whatever daily activity I have here. I don't see it as a failure of our plan, but a new perspective and we will probably move eventually.
Rick I can’t tell you how much I love this! It’s really a message of finding the joy in where we are. Sounds so cliche but it’s all and everything we have. And this is inspiring me to keep chipping away on my own home clean out as a way to stay present.
An image came to mind reading this - of, stepping back from crossing a railroad track or a busy road - maybe moving to another crossing, different pathway or waiting! 🙏
Michaela, I love this image. The wisdom of this language just keeps deepening for me. Thank you for this!
We’ve been rewarded for SO long for our productivity. And taught to look around and make sure we’re out hustling everyone else. It’s a hard lesson to unlearn. Excited to see another physician on the journey. I’m rooting for you and hope you have a GREAT summer!
It’s so much unlearning right Stacy? Gratitude for your solidarity. The medical training culture in particular perpetuates the conditioning. You’re “weak” if you can’t push through. So glad to meet you here!