Start Strong, Be Strong

Mid-January and life is … life. Is there any other way to put it? The crazy season and all the festivities are over. The children are preparing to go back to school, teenagers to high school and young adults to embrace where ever their post-education path takes them. Everything is focused on the younger generations. What about those who are over 30?

Life is in chaos everywhere you look. Many people offer enough self-help that would get you into another life and world with words that churn like a raging storm through your mind. It’s an unending onslaught on the senses. Gone are the days where life was easy and slow. Everything is fast, instant, continuously moving, and there is no time to watch the grass grow, sunset or rise without a plan, a purpose or a cause. Why is there always a reason we do something instead of simply doing it because we want to experience what we are seeing, tasting, hearing or touching?

Contrary to what we are taught as children, there is nothing wrong with sitting still. There is nothing wrong with watching the sunrise or sunset, listening to the bird’s chirp, leisurely walking on a beach or through a forest. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sitting in your favourite coffee shop enjoying your favourite beverage. Time can stand still to your senses, and your body can relax in these moments. To be whole, we need these times.

Rising early before sunrise and allowing the silence of my home sink into my senses while drinking my favourite French Roast coffee is a moment I cherish. A favourite moment is when everyone is still sleeping. I get to do a quick exercise routine or enjoy a shower that makes me feel as though I’m standing under a waterfall in nature. Watching the sunrise in Summer while feeling the cool breeze of the nearby ocean brush against my face and play with my hair, tasting the salt on the air—all moments where beauty and nature engage the senses. Peace fills me, and my soul sighs while I smile at my good fortune to be able to engage all five of my senses in this beautiful world we have been gifted.

What makes you stop and be? What makes you smile and think today will be a good day.

2 Replies to “Start Strong, Be Strong”

  1. Love it. We are so rushed by everything going on around us that we tend to forget the important little things in life. Sometimes we just need that reminder of the beautiful things we are missing. And your words paint a beautiful picture.

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