The flowers bring a new look during the monsoon season. The plants look healthier and the leaves look greener and fresh. I noticed that they are denied sunshine during the cloudy days. The soil is more moist than they are usually used to. The flowers have shorter life span than they have during the winter season.
I spent a day with a groups of medical professionals recently listening to their experiences at work. I observed how they were glad to be together to listen to the stories of people and participate in discussing the different work related stressful factors. The tension between excellence at work and optimum attention to life at home was a real concern for most of them.
It occurred to me that most people find their way of attending to this tension in creative ways to live well integrated. However the time for leisure, or to pursue a hobby or build deeper supportive relationships do not get attended to amidst the pressures that come upon them.
The plant life has a rhythm even in difficult weather conditions. Mot of us too have a rhythm that helps us to live with composure and joyful experiences. When that inner wellness is compromised, the subtle insidious tiredness sets in which gets recognised rather late. The freedom to find a respite is not always easy.
With a six day work rigour that is the norm, the Sunday in between cannot always absorb the demands associated with heaviness of work and home centred routines and transitions.
The 'relaxation time' is occupied with watching entertainments in the visual screen. It shifts our mind to something lighter or humorous. But that is not restorative of the inner movements of ups and downs of the week.
I happened to hear the experiences of a few who have set apart time for personal debriefing and interior silence during each day or two or three times in a week. They shared how they practice centerdness during such occasions when they attend to recollecting the learning and growing experiences arising our of the valley and peek experiences of each day.
Carl Jung's proposal of the journey from being a 'persona' to becoming the true Self in the individuation process, came back to me as a theme to pursue in mid life. The unresolved events in life add to the baggage of the persona and remain concealed in the subconscious. It is when we engage and demystify the baggage we carry within, we find the emergence of our true self with inner freedom, delight and hope to experience the peace that gives us energy to live above the feeling level and grow in the richness of our being!
We are more than what we do in our profession. We are beings with a life purpose! A teenage boy goes to visit a senior citizen who lives in his neighbourhood to read to him newspaper and stories as he no more can read due to cortical blindness. He does it most days of the week and told me that, the time spent in this experience brings yet another reason for his learning and growing.
Our source of wellness comes from different experiences. One source is mindful living to bring wellness to the lives of others.
We add to our wellness when we can create space for others and attend to their needs.
The flowers are a gift with their nectar, colourful presence and fragrance!
We grow to be our true self when we too can become a means of encouragement to others.
M.C.Mathew( text and photo)
No comments:
Post a Comment