Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Resolution and Silence

What we need in autumn is an emotional or spiritual shot in the arm.
-Katharine Elizabeth Fite
Good Housekeeping, 1949
I found this quote while rereading Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy.  This is from the September 1 reading.  In it, Sarah Ban Breathnach talks about how autumn is an ideal time for making resolutions and much more appropriate than waiting for the new year, when we're exhausted from the holidays and just want to rest.  I think she's on to something.  She writes, "September resolutions are about authentic wants.  What do you want more or less of in your life, so that you can love the life you're leading?"  So what is it that you want?

Sometimes I think we get so busy with what we want, what we think we need, and what we think we're supposed to be doing, and we just get caught up in a cycle of chasing after things.  We get so busy we can't even hear our own thoughts.  So we need to step on the brakes and reevaluate what we are doing and why we're doing it.  Is it something that makes you love your life?  If not, why are you doing it?

Silence gives us a chance to reevaluate.  So today I encourage you to turn off the television, shut off your music and just sit still.  And think about where you are going.  Don't be afraid to make new goals and plans.  I'll leave you with one final quote that pretty much sums up my wish for all of you.

I hope you live a life you’re proud of. If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
-Eric Roth

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