Being Still When the Lights Go Out

It was a dark and stormy night when the lightning flashed, the thunder clapped, and the lights flickered twice before fading into a vacuum of darkness…

Okay, that didn’t actually happen.  It is cloudy, and the evening is late and becoming dim.  But the night has not really settled in yet, and there were no dramatic moments – the lights went out in the blink of an eye.  The why and how long of the power outage is still to be determined; in the meanwhile sitting in a quiet and darkening house surrounded by wonderful smelling candles and sleeping dogs is not a terrible interruption to the constantly connected electrical world we live in.  This gives me a chance to put pen to paper, sit in the glow of a pine candle (my favorite scent), and write on what paper I could find using my phone as a flash light.  The paper could be gray or maybe lavender, it’s hard to tell with the low light fading the colors out.  But, in the midst of this outage, I think it would be an ideal time to be still. 

When I have an opportunity to be still, I realize afresh how I crave this more than my routine indicates.  After coming back from a time that involved stillness, I find myself wanting this more frequently.  In the presence of everyday life, my sense of mental equilibrium can apparently settle into something not entirely good because stillness tends to leave me falling into an exhausted sleep.  When I do get a period of quiet, enforced by a power outage though it may be, it can draw attention to the need to be still and regain balance.

“Be still and know that I am God” you say.  Be still.  Still. Still.  Still moving.  Still squirming.  Still yacking about irrelevant things.  Still having conversations in my head.  Still not focused.  Still not listening.  Still not having a mental slow down.  Still trying.  Still straining to listen.  Still settling.  Still need to add that last item to my list.  Still, be still. That is generally when the phone rings, the e-mail arrives, the dog barks, the calendared event starts, or I just fall asleep.  Be still I say to myself!  You are supposed to be still and know.  Can’t I know that God is God while moving about?  This still thing is awfully difficult.  I tend toward curiosity and I wonder why be still?  Why not be quiet and know or be noisy and know – I could probably accomplish that a lot better than being still. 

The lights just came back on.  My thanks to the power crew that is working tonight.  I do like our electrical conveniences.  In the growing darkness though, I did have a moment when stillness started.  After one of the moments the dogs of insisted we go out, I tried to be still.  When I’m still, I don’t hear myself moving about.  I hear the patter of a gentle rain starting to fall.  I hear night sounds as frogs and crickets perform virtuoso lullabies.  I smell the awakening smell of spring warmed earth, new leaves, and the beginnings of spring blooms.  Be still and know. 

Be still is not the easiest thing for me, but I can understand why I need to be still.  I need to hear God and readjust my direction to move forward.  My direction right now is to be still a little more often – it’s like a vacation for the soul.  

Getting Back into the New Groove

Vacation is over.  Wow, those are not happy words!  As glad as I am to see my pups, sleep in my own bed, and see all my friends, I’m still lingering over thoughts of vacation.  After clearing through e-mails, paper mail, and voice mails, I had my list of things to get done written out and am ready to start crossing things off of it.  I guess it’s time to get back in the groove of things.  Or, perhaps is it time to start a new groove? 

        Groove:  a : a fixed routine : rut; b : a situation suited to one's abilities or interests : niche      

        (according to a quick definition from Merriam-Webster).

As I look back at that definition and compare the provided words of rut and niche; I’m thinking niche sounds so much nicer.  If I am honest though, it is easy to slip into a rut of a groove, a fixed routine that is tough to break out of; even though it is a nice routine.  Doing the same thing over and over can lead to stagnation; when I think of stagnation, I think of a pond that is all green goo covered, not what I would like to describe my groove(a.k.a. routine)  as – yuck! 

So, I go on a trip and break out of my groove for a short time.  I have experienced new things, met new people, seen new sights, and had a new refreshing of my heart and mind.  Why should I take these new things and try to stuff them back into the same old groove?  I shouldn’t!  I need to get back into a new groove, one a little different for the experiences I bring with me.  

The Logo Says Relax

I am sitting in the lobby at the Hampton Inn in Norfolk, Nebraska, working on relaxing.  Working on relaxing, it seems like a paradox but it can be hard to slow down.  Coffee and yogurt beside my computer, a comfy couch to sit on, and complimentary Wi-Fi; it would seem that relaxation would be a no-brainer.  But, when I run at a certain speed for so long, I find it difficult to slow down and really relax.  Life gets busy, obligations and events pile onto the calendar and create pyramids of ink on carefully marked up days.  They are great obligations and events, things I want to be at and participate in.  When you live by a calendars (yes that is with an s), and a clock, it can be hard to change pace.  Vacation, much wanted and looked forward to, is finally here!  Packing up yesterday, farewells were said to the pups and hellos said to the road.  With the final destination of South Dakota in mind, it was a good day to start the process of relaxation.

But this is vacation – it is all about pace change!  Yesterday, at a rest stop in Nebraska, the grasses were being caught by the wind and whispering a soothing song that speaks of a quiet earth, coming alive with spring growth.  Birds fluttered in and about a pine tree, adding a flutter of soft rhythms to the ongoing syncopated grass percussion.  The land is being worked, prepared for a new year of growth.  The newness of leaves is punctuated by their softness and beautiful bright green color.  I stopped and tried to take this in, breathe in the sounds and smells and sights; as if imbibing myself with the waking up song of the deep bones of the earth, the slow and methodical process of spring.

I started with mentioning the hotel here in Norfolk.  It’s very nice by the way, clean and a friendly staff.  Without my normal alarm clock of the puppy jumping on me to go out, I was still wide awake by the normal time and debated how to and if to go back to sleep.  I gave up, came on down to the lobby.  It’s my first day to sleep in a bit, and no sleeping in takes place.  But that’s okay, it takes time to relax and unwind.  And here at the hotel, I am reminded of that word, “Relax,” in logos on coffee cups, soap, and general branding materials. 

I think I will thank you very much!  That way I can look forward to jumping back into the events on the calendar with new energy. 

Stay-Cation

   I heard a friend coin a term that I just loved, a “Stay-cation”. A vacation where you stay at home. It may mean a complete break from everything or just stepping away from the normal responsibilities of life to enjoy a break. When I mentioned this to another friend, she wanted to know if I ever felt guilty when I declared these mini-vacation where I don’t actually vacate. I have to say, “no”. A resounding, great big no!

   We live in a world driven by doing. Every moment seems to be taken with doing something, not necessarily doing something productive, just doing something. Wonderful technology that can keep us connected can also become burdensome after a while. The constant connection, constant movement, it can be quite overwhelming. When I am in the middle of the busy times, when I can’t seem to do more than juggle the calendar, I remember how Jesus took his disciples away. They would move away from the people, the burdens, the demands, and the needs. They would be guided away for times of teaching, of a mental and emotional breather.
    I hope that if you need a break, that you will schedule it in, schedule it into the business of your calendar.

Vacation – Preparation

I’m getting ready to go on a vacation! Today, I noticed that I was counting down the days and hours – and I’m still several days away. Vacations are important, a chance to get away and relax. The daily hustle and bustle of life takes on routines which are good. But, it is nice to get away from the normal routine to a different one. The routine is disrupted, the dust that settles on the normalcy of life is shaken off and we step into something new!



I can’t wait!

Time Apart

Have you ever needed a break?  I have!  I have had a time when I just want to get away from the noise, the people, daily routines, expectations…  I need a vacation from life those days!  You know, it’s the days where you sit up in bed and declare that it’s just not good a day to get up. 

Sometimes, it is really important to have the time away.  Mary needed time away and found a sanctuary in the home of Elizabeth and Zechariah.  It was about three months that they welcomed Mary before she went home.  Can you imagine as Elizabeth shared with Mary discussions over symptoms of an early pregnancy?  Discussions over strolls in the hills, perhaps quiet times sitting with Zechariah. 

But, it is important to note that Mary went home.  Mary didn’t hide away and stay hidden.  She rested, gathered strength, and then went home.  I can imagine Mary gathering courage around her as she packed her things and headed back home.  She was about to face the unknown and the known.  The unknown of how people would react, who would talk, what would they say, what would people think, how would they treat her?  The known of daily routines, well known streets, familiar voices and faces of family and friends would also be welcoming her.

If you need a break, how are you taking it?  If you are hiding, how will you gather courage to come out and face the unknown and known?