In today's rush we all think too much, seek too much, want too much and forget about the joy of just Being. ~ Eckhart Tolle
Right now I flying home from Key West, Florida. I know, I am very privileged and lucky. If I could name this past holiday vacation anything, it would be, “The Beautiful, Sleepy Vacation.” Because of I-don’t-know-what, I have a very annoying condition where if I don’t get to sleep in until at least ten a.m., then I usually stay sleepy for the rest of the day. I am extremely grateful to have a job that accommodates my need for late mornings. Because we couldn’t sleep in much AND because I did not have a day to rest in between a work-day and the leaving-for-vacation-day, I was sleepy for most of the trip. The only day I did not feel sleepy was ironically the day we left, because I got to have a good nap in the morning. Such is a disabled life.
However, I still had a great time! The weather was perfect and so was the sea. I have never been to a beach before that practically had no waves! My favorite experience was when we went to the beach at Bahia Honda state park and I got to sit down in the water. The water was clear, calm and warm – no fighting the surf in order to relax. I just sat down in the water and let the smooth sand run through my fingers. I realized then how much one could be happy with almost nothing and how tied I am to the threat of boredom.
Before leaving for the beach, I had fretted about whether I should bring my IPad, with its Kindle app, or my purse. My purse is always full of books, markers, pens, bits of drawing paper, candy, headphones – anything to keep me distracted in case the boredom monster should appear. I wonder what I am so afraid of? There is a world to see, hear, feel, and think about always in front of me. Do I really need to be constantly distracted? Is time alone with my thoughts really so bad? Ok, so sometimes, yes, but often no. AND what about all those mindfulness exercises I participated in my Dialectical Behavioral Therapy classes? With the sand running through my fingers, I realized that I do not even need to think. As I’ve said before, life should not always be about productivity, which is the lie of capitalism, but in learning the value of just being. During my days of sleepiness, I have to look for ways to let go of my productive expectations and just be – otherwise, I will be miserable. I posit that that might be true for other people too even if they do not have energy issues.
I had a wonderful time in Key West, practicing being content with the little I could do, taking in copious amounts of beauty. Here are some of the beautiful pictures my family and I captured:
Of course, I am glad for my energy being back and will have to remember the gift of just being when I am back at work. Just being is the way towards gratitude and peace – just striving is the way towards frustration and anxiety. May we all be content today, even as we strive towards a more just society.