Hon Sha Za Sho Nen (a Reiki greeting meaning, the Divine within me recognizes the Divine within you)….
When we are willing to take loving care of ourself, we are more able to find our true rhythm.This is something I’ve been mulling over for some time. When I was diagnosed with cancer 4 years ago, I lessened my schedule somewhat, but kept working through two surgeries and six weeks of radiation, with only a few days off. It felt like the right thing to do at the time, as I was used to keeping very busy with a full schedule. That seemed like my natural rhythm.
But over time, I began to question that. I always planned a lot, thought a lot, scheduled a lot, and did a lot. But to whose rhythm was I moving? Was this who I really was, my authentic self, or was I acting on ideas about who I was supposed to be that I had adopted or internalized?
Bit by bit – since all progress is in baby steps – I became willing to know what my natural rhythm was now. I noticed I was happier working less, connecting with family and friends more, sleeping more, paying more attention to what proper nutrition meant now, what kind of exercise felt right, how much down time felt good, how much alone time I needed. It felt good to be more discerning and aware of what felt good and what didn’t. I kept asking myself, what’s the most loving thing I can do right now.
It took a long time to unloose the ties that bound me to past messages, the “shoulds” of what needed to get done before I could allow myself to vege out, relax, watch a movie, read, or just be. We are meant to BE some and DO some, not do, do, do, do, do (then we are in the doo doo); and we also have a human life that requires some doing, so we are not meant to just BEEEEEEEEE, like hiding away meditating for years in a cave.
I decided it didn’t matter if how I used to be was my natural rhythm or someone else’s that got imposed on me; what’s important is that when it was no longer serving me, I chose differently. When we are aware, we can make a choice. And in that awareness, I can also keep evolving and refining.
In my next newsletter, I’ll talk about the Pillars of Health and how using them can direct us to our healing priorities.
In the meantime, take loving care of yourself….and listen for your own rhythm.