Mid-way between Christmas and New Year’s Day, I’m loving the stillness. I live on a fairly busy street, yet even at the peak traffic times, the street is quiet. The skies are typical gray for this time of year in Rochester, and the snowfall is light but steady. The fire in the fireplace keeps me toasty warm, and my 8-month old puppies have discovered the luxury of napping on the small rug provided just for them in front of that fire. There are very few emails during these days; the world is asking little of me. I am loving the quiet, the time to read by the fire, the lack of scheduled appointments, and the insights and reflections these days bring.
Life is about many things. We each come here with a purpose–a reason for being. I call it soul mission. And if we want to live a fulfilled life, it is important to discover that soul mission for ourselves and live it. It is through living our soul mission that we make our contributions to the world.
At the same time, however, life is about stillness. When we linger in the stillness between the moments of busy-ness, new doors of awareness can open. We can notice more things in both our inner and outer worlds. That new awareness can bring new discoveries and creativity as well as experiences of awe, wonder, and fascination.
In my day-to-day life, most of my time is focused on living my soul mission (“I liberate and empower”) in one way or another–coaching, teaching, writing, engaging with others. I love that; it’s what brings me alive. And yet it is also clear to me that I can’t really live my soul mission to the fullest if I don’t also spend time lingering in the stillness. I’ve also learned that at the moment that I think it is time to “get back to my life,” there will be great value in lingering in the stillness just a few moments longer. There is something else waiting, something else to be discovered, a realization that is just below the surface and needs just a moment or two more to come to full consciousness. If I will be patient and pay attention, the emerging awareness is usually well worth the wait.
It’s a very special time, these year-end days. Enjoy them. And if these days for you are filled with holiday activities and events, take a little time to slip away, find a beautiful place of stillness, and linger there for just a little longer than you dare. These year-end days may have a message for you as you let go of 2010 and step into a brand new year–a message you won’t want to miss.