Serenity Is …

Being able to find your way to the bathroom in the middle of the night in the dark with your eyes closed in a house that is not your own!  Visiting my mom and dad this week and as I crawled back into bed I reflected that they may soon move to a retirement home and this may be my last visit to this familiar, comfortable house.  Although it is not the home I grew up in, it is one that I have grown to love and will miss.  I’m so thankful to have known this house and this place and enjoyed annual vacations here in sunny Florida.  Change is coming.  Seasons change and my parents are aging.  Their new place will be smaller and won’t have room for the whole family to visit.

As I contemplate this new future, I try not to worry about my parents.  Dad is sometimes confused and mom can be forgetful; so having them live many miles away is not easy.  I want to be able to help with the little things like figuring out the TV remote or solving computer issues.  These are not things that I can fix long distance.  And I want to be able to help with bigger things like health care and finances.  It’s on my mind almost every day; I know that they won’t be with us forever and I want to be able to spend more time with them in their waning years.  I’m torn between my life, my church family, my husband’s family, my job, my friends, and this desire to be available to my parents.  Trying to choose serenity and find ways to be present in their lives more often.

In Foul Weather and Fair

Marsh at High Tide
Marsh at High Tide

The town where I grew up is on the water and my dad has always been an amateur weather man as well as a sailor.  There was a peninsula in the town with a long harbor on one side and the sound on the other.  Whenever there was a storm, my dad would say, “let’s go down to the beach and see if the water is over the road yet.”  I remember the flooding being more common in winter storms. Dad and I, and my sister, would jump in the car, drive down to the beach, and plow through the water, first with the car and then on foot.  We would check out the water level around the buildings and look for waves and white caps.

Weather was exciting!  Rain and storms were to be EXPERIENCED.  As an adult, I try to recapture the joy of being outdoors in all weather, foul and fair.  And whenever dad calls, his first question is always, ‘how’s the weather?’  The stormier the better in his mind!

Stolen Serenity

Overwhelm.

We’ve all felt it.  Feeling stressed and not a clue where to start.  Struggling to hold on to my joy and peace.  Reminding myself to breathe, literally and metaphorically.  Remembering the importance of down time.  Letting the mind rest.  Sometimes being productive means you need to intentionally spend time not being productive.  Turn your brain off and let your mind wander.  Give yourself permission to just be.  Even when you are in grad school, and working full time, and it’s tax season, and your to-do list is a mile long.  And sometimes you need to clean your desk, despite the to-do list, because a decluttered desk leads to a de-cluttered mind, which increases productivity.

So my serenity was not really stolen – it is my choice whether to hold on to it.  No one can take it away from me.  I had let it slip away.  Cleaning my desk helped.  A few evenings and lunch hours of ‘wasted time’ were the cure.  I gave myself permission to accomplish nothing of an evening and it gave me the margin I needed.  Rest is key to maintaining serenity.

 

Opting Out – Outdoors That Is

Tonight I am meditating on:

  • Work
  • Play
  • Sabbath

and the connection to:

  • Mind
  • Body
  • Spirit

Are the short walks that I take a mini form of Sabbath?  Taking photographs, noticing the beauty of creation is similar for me.  Reading is at times also restful for me.  I was studying a bit more about StrengthsFinder tonight and noticed the connections between introspection and Intellection.  Reading is, at times, also restful for me.

I paused to read Michael Hyatt’s post:

Why Going Outdoors Makes You Smarter, Stronger, and More Spiritual

and was struck by the similarity of our thoughts.

Serene living-1

Are there practices that rejuvenate your spirit in a similar way?

Fond Remembrances

When I was a pre-teen and teenager we lived near Long Island Sound.  In the summer, my dad would go out fishing just about every morning.  We had a little run-about that was old but steady.  I would often go with my dad.  We would wake up at 5:00 a.m. and creep out of the house so as not to wake others and grab a quick bite before heading to the dock.

I went along primarily to see the sunrise.

It was so peaceful out on the water.  My dad is a quiet man, so few words would be exchanged.  From time to time I was allowed to drive the boat.  We would cast in one spot, and then, if nothing was biting, we’d motor over to a different spot.  Fishing involves intuition.  You just KNOW where the fish might be hanging out.  We’d be back home before seven, in time for dad to catch the train to NYC for another day of work.

Serene Living

Snowpocalypse 2016 is in progress as I write.  We’ve enjoyed a snow day here in Pennsylvania.  So far we have over 23” of snow in less than 24 hours.  It’s beautiful to look at.  This quiet Saturday has been spent reading, cooking, eating, and cross country skiing.  I love when I am home on a weekend with no particular agenda.  My favorite thing is to sit on the couch in my living room.  The sofas are old, but their blue, green, and white large floral pattern makes me happy, as does the design and architecture of this home.  From the couch, I can see the snow falling outside the four sliding glass doors and piling up on the back deck.  This quiet house in the woods is my respite.  I am so blessed to enjoy this beautiful home.

But it’s my attitude and my choices that make it a respite.  First, I try to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness every day.  In this I am encouraged by Ann Voskamp.  I believe in God and choose to give thanks for big and small things daily.  I’m still working on my list of 1000 Gifts and will continue – probably I’ll be making lists all my life.  But a thankful heart is a content heart.  Remembering that I have things to be thankful for helps me keep life in perspective.
Secondly, I choose to cultivate ‘down time’ – time for me, in the midst of a busy life, it is easy to be constantly on the go.  I am intentional in making time for quiet in my life.  I try to spend some time every day with a book or going for a walk or simply enjoying a cup of tea.  There are many ways to add serenity to your life.  Time outdoors, even in the middle of a blizzard, is always life-giving to me.  Something about fresh air, seeing the sky and trees, always perks me up.  I love to go for a ten minute walk first thing in the morning.  I am forever stopping to take pictures – the scenery is always changing – even if the walk is the same.  I take lots of pictures of clouds.  Clouds inspire me.
It was snowing hard when I took this picture
It was snowing hard when I took this picture
What brings you serenity?  Let me know in the comments.

My One Word

I remember where I was when I got my One Word.  It was early January of 2016 and I was just leaving the doctor’s office on a cold winter day, and I paused just outside the door to look at a bush.  There in the midst of winter was a tiny bit of green.  I was reminded to slow down and admire the beauty around me. And it came to me, Serenity is my word.  It defines me.  It is how I live my life.  And it is partly my temperament, but it’s also intentional.  Like the choice that I made to stop and admire the landscape, not just hurry on to the next thing (or back to work).  It’s about choosing to see and notice the beauty around you.  A life lived in a rush does not leave much room for serenity.  But slowing down can be hard.  Stick around, see how I cultivate Serenity.Winter Beauty

Living Serenity

What is serenity?  And how does one find it?

I’m meditating on this One Word for 2016 and woke up early this morning with ideas running through my head, so I got out of bed and began journaling.  Here are the preliminary thoughts of things I want to write about:

  • Quiet or margin
  • Thankfulness
  • Meditation
  • Reading
  • Time Outdoors

These are things that feed my soul.  I especially like to get some daily time outside to see the sky and connect with my Creator.  The fresh air stimulates my mind.  In the coming weeks, I hope to explore these topics in more detail … stay tuned!

Palm trees and the lake framing the sunset
Palm trees and the lake framing the sunset

 

The Serene Life

Here’s a working title for what God has been speaking to me about in 2016 … if you know me, you know my name fits me – my parents named me well.  I’m feeling a nudge to share my serenity with the world and think I’ll start a new blog.  I’m polling ideas for a title on my FB page.

Coming soon  – more thoughts on living serenely.

Walking the park on a winter day
Walking in the park on a winter day