Solitary: A Self-Directed Spiritual Life
Let's talk. Come sit with me under a tree or by a lake while we chat about being alone in our practice and our beliefs. Solitary practitioners choose this path for many reasons and have a unique perspective. As a solitary witch, I want to share how I keep true to my beliefs and practices whether I'm working on my own, in a small group or attending a large group gathering. Author of Moon Affirmations, meditations based on the phase of the moon.
Life on Automatic
Rising in the morning and stumbling through the normal routine, shower, dress, prep for work. So much of our lives are lived on automatic, drop the kids at school, drive to work, work all day long and reverse, to pick up the kids, run errands, run kids around, make (or pick up) supper and so on until you fall into bed exhausted. Does this sound like your life? It is how most of us live.
You can’t experience every moment of your life, you’d never get through the day. You can, however, try to be mindful of those moments. One Sunday morning, I got up to find my husband and daughters lounging in the living room reading the paper. Now my kids have since all moved out as they are adults and living their own lives. In that moment, I just watched and listened to them. Took in the moment, which sounds really silly but see at that point I knew my daughters would soon be leaving us.
Everyone talks about the big moments and how important they are. I say it is the little moments, like that Sunday morning reading and discussing the newspaper, that count. I’m positive this scene occurred multiple times in my house as the girls were reaching adulthood.
I took a step back in that moment and realized how important these moments were. I couldn’t have orchestrated it if I’d tried. I certainly couldn’t have put the laughter and love there on my own that developed over time with how we raised and loved our children.
It was easy that Sunday morning to slip into the morning routine, the Sunday routine when we were all home and together. Settle in, cuddle up with one of the girls, and enjoy the moment.
I’m a big believer in the need to let go. We have to let go of what was to find out what will be. I know this is hard for a lot of people but it’s how I live my life. This particular Sunday morning, I realized we also have to cherish the now.
I’m sure I had some plan for that morning, I almost always do. Instead I took the time to read the comics with my kids, lop about in the living room, and just enjoy the family time. It was a moment, a rare moment which needed to be savored along with the time with my daughters and husband.
My Sundays are very different now. My daughters are all off in different states. We all tend to cuddle in though on Sunday. It is the day for us all to stay home, do as little as possible and just enjoy our time together (even when we aren’t together).
Taking that breath, taking that moment and putting it in my memory taught me a great deal. Instead of rushing into the day, rushing through the morning without care or thought to what was, I would have missed out on a great morning of bickering over sports, news, laughing over comics and just being with my family, present in the moment, in the here and now.
Comments
-
Please login first in order for you to submit comments