Morning Connection Redux

I've wanted to revisit my post about Non-Technological Mornings recently because of a few good comments. Mkat's comment this morning asks two important questions.

"How were you able to make the shift to the slowness/awareness? Are you able to sustain it currently?"

Mkat, since I wrote this post, I have practiced and felt both the same and also fallen back into old ruts of rushing and competition with my fellow humans.

How does one make the shift to slowness/awareness? It is simply, taking the time to breathe. This is easier typed than done, because it takes discipline and self-remembering. Remembering what is important to you. Discipline to not get swept up under/into the influence of someone/trend/idea that you do not want to be in/that is not true for you. (e.g. The rat race, the 60 hour work week, the genius student, self-important, ego-centric, etc. etc.)

Spending time directly exposed to Nature (not watching discovery channel) can profoundly slow you. It can be sitting in your tiny backyard garden. Expose yourself to Nature. Do not DO anything in it. Just BE. If you can't directly experience Nature, find a picture you took of a beautiful natural place and remember your experience of being there hypno-visionary style.

Doing this can bring a sense of calm that continues when you go to engage with other beings and technological entities. 

 

Are you able to sustain it currently? I must admit, I am currently having some trouble maintaining this relaxed connected calm. I am somewhat currently over-extended, what with my ~50 hour a week job and 2 graduate classes for my Master's degree. In addition, I can not help but continue to move forward slowly on my other projects, passions, research desires.

It is not that any of these activities is particularly hard, it is the time they require to be done well. I am able to get these done with a satisfactory ability, but it is not at my level of excellence. Knowing I am not producing my best work, but necessary to hit deadlines (or nearly hit them). Do I go with "Better Done than Half Begun?" worrying about Good killing Great? Or do I kill myself with perfection, pushing the deadline, never satisfied? 

 

So the answer to that question, more recently, is no, I have not been able to sustain it. But there are times, like this morning, when the earth is fresh after a night of rain. The sun is out, it is cool, the sidewalks still moist as the dog clicks his nails on them. The wind blows freshness across my body and I feel rejuvenated. Enjoying my work at home day, I open all the windows and let the wind into the house, bringing it's crisp clean moist smell. And here, while I sit at my computer, I am connected again. To the earth and nature and even to you in answering your questions.

 

Comments

[mkat]

Thanks for your reflection, I wonder if we can use the power of technology to create more offline experiences. Sounds ironic to use technology to unplug, but I think with ubiquitous wifi networks and social media, it is hard for me to resist the impulse to check my iPhone. I sit in a cafe writing this and there are several people on their laptops as well. Coffee houses in the past were places for conversation and serendipitous enlightenment. At the same time it is great that I can communicate to you on this blog. We don't know where this is leading 10 years from now. Can we use the good of the Internet to create a higher consciousness and be connected to our world like you eloquently describe? Thank you