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Winter Blues 1/28/2006 5:31:03 AM
Each winter about this time the days seem to become dreary and the nights are colder. No wonder so many people become lost amid their self imposed isolation. I notice that my neighbors stay inside and you rarely see them out walking or jogging as in summer. Here in New England time seems to stand still until the spring thaw when trees begin to bud, flowers bloom, and life returns from its quiet hibernation.
It's this time of year in particular that we must find things to do that allow us to continue our personal growth even though it seems like that growth is frozen in time like the snow we see outside. For myself I find it a time of self reflection when I can renew my commitment to grow and to become a better person amid all the anxiety in the world. It is not an easy task at times but one that I strive to achieve.
I'm one of those people who get up early in the morning. I awake around 4:30 am and I guess from my surgical training am wide awake and ready to go. When I was in private practice I honed this skill to its finest because lives were at stake and a clear head was necessary to treat my patients properly. So, now retired I carry forth the same habit i.e. when I awake I am fully awake and ready to meet what challenges I might see.
I take that time to read, to meditate, and to self reflect. I work hard at growing and spreading my influence wherever and whenever I can. I find those hours in the morning extremely important. In fact, I'm writing this as the sun rises and daylight dawns in my outer world. Within me lies a quiet place of inner calm where I can touch, grasp, and understand a world so different from the outer world in which we live.
What do you do in your daily waking hours to improve your personal growth? I ask this of you not to cause you distress or worry but to spark within you that need we all have to touch our inner souls for comfort and nourishment. I ask because so few ask others that question. I ask because I only wish you to grow to your fullest extent, to be a much as you can be, and to feel that warmth of our Creator's love. Think about this question for a while and begin to put the importance of inner self in its proper place. Begin to be. When I'm asked what do I do now that I'm retired I answer by saying "I no longer do I'm learning to be."
I hope this little note leaves you learning to be. Stop and think of your life and begin that journey within.
