I was at the Elks pool at 7:10 am - hoping for a little relief from the pain. The water felt particularly warm and soothing today, which was a nice blessing. I watched the people around me struggling to cope with whatever illness or disability was "inviting" them to the Elks pool before sunrise. I don't have to look hard or far to see evidence of grace and courage, as people try to find ways to cope with whatever cards are in their hand. And in the midst of the courage and determination, there is humor:
Elderly Rehab patient to one of the volunteers: "The wife and I were talking about what it would be like to be the one left behind if the other one dies first - how we would cope. We came up with this solution - the one who dies first has to take the kids... "
Lots of laughs followed as stories were shared about the desire to maintain independence from the kids who "know it all, " and the strategies for coping to maintain the highest quality of life possible. I listen (I'm treated like one of the kids, and for many in the pool, I could, at 52, be their grandchild)! The desire to maintain balance, independence, and quality of life is such a strong inner motivation. We've all seen situations where these desires were taken to an unhealthy extreme - perhaps we've done this ourselves. Yet there is something in the human psyche that longs for freedom...
Balance. Quality of life. Healthy independence. I think about these aspects of life, and wonder: What are those things I can do with my own life and schedule - those choices I can make on a regular basis - that help to maintain balance, quality of life, and healthy independence?
Thinking of this leads me back to a topic we talked about many months ago at our Boise First Spirituality Group - a Rule of Life. Our group reacted to the title "Rule of Life" because it sounded so strict and unyielding - almost like a straight-jacket. This happens when we use descriptions that made perfect sense 1500 years ago, but are now lost in translation. A Rule of Life is nothing more than a plan - a strategy - an approach for how to structure your time and activities in a way that will maintain balance and quality of life - and open the heart to a deeper experience of God. It can be developed through experimentation (you try something and find that it works well, so you bring it into your regular experience). It is developed over time.
Over my lifetime (but especially during the past three years) I have gained insight into what needs to be in my schedule to help maintain a sense of balance and quality of life, and what is best left out. It is very good for me to start and end the day with prayer - pausing mid day to pray is a helpful bonus! I work best with a reasonable amount of sleep each night. I need regular experiences of silence and solitude, or my edges get crispy. Watching TV in the evening interferes with my ability to sleep, while reading does not. Exercise every day is better than a lot of exercise three days a week. Attending worship each week someplace where I'm not in charge is very good for me - and if icons and incense are present, even better! As I accept each new discovery and bring it into my daily life, I experience greater balance and enhanced quality of life. And freedom - which, as the great mystics of the Christian Church remind us, is God desire for all of us. To be free - free from our fears, free from all that binds and imprisons us, free to be ourselves - is what our heart longs for. And having a Rule of Life is a tool to help us find that greater freedom. It sounds like a paradox - a structure that invites freedom - but it is nonetheless true.
Do you long for a greater inner freedom? What activities/schedule/rhythms brings you greater balance and enhanced quality of life? What can you commit to doing on a regular basis that will ultimately give you greater freedom? Can you imagine a plan - a rule of life - that will help you grow in all ways? Can you see it - write it down - share it with God - commit to it? Can you lean into freedom...
Leaning with love and prayers,
Kim
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