Letting the Fog Clear; Put Down the List and Make Space for You

I'm a planner and list-checker-offer. I'm continuously going through my head to sort out and plan my day.  For the most part, this allows me to be organized, efficient, and punctual (or pretty close to it.) But on the other hand, it also means that my mind is like a lake dumping its waters and flooding the land because of too much rain. There is so much information coming into my head, that I've run out of room to put it. 

My yoga practice has helped in turning my torrential downpour into more of a light drizzle but the rain continues. Finding stillness and quiet in my very active mind may very well be one of my greatest struggles. I've always replayed troublesome situations over and over in my head, analyzed and thought about tasks that I wasn't looking forward to, and carried on lengthy, imagined conversations over things that could happen or that already took place. This has only served to keep my mind on overdrive. 

What I've learned this past year through a regular yoga practice, is that when those thoughts cease, even momentarily, I find myself completely present - present to what my children are saying or doing, present to my relationship with my husband, present to myself, and present to the world around me. I see and notice the littlest, most beautiful things. I hear the most amazing sounds, and I see the light of those around me. I really and truly appreciate the moment that I'm in. But then the thoughts return, the rain falls, and fog sets in. Even so, those moments of clarity are what keep me practicing and what keep me truly alive. 

With our never ending to do lists and our culture of busy-ness and multitasking, we must find a way to put something down. To stop the rain and allow our cloudy minds to clear, even briefly.  I was given the idea recently to let one hour a day be completely unplanned, and once that hour arrives, not to fill it with tasks but to simply allow it to unfold. Whatever happens to fill that space is very likely something that you need that perhaps you weren't even aware of. I began this practice yesterday and found myself reading and writing during my kids' nap time. Normally, this time of day is very planned out (chores, prep dinner, squeeze in an at home workout) but that day I cast aside any plans and found that what I needed was some time for peace, quiet, and creativity. The next day my unplanned hour was playing games with my kids.  What will today bring? I have no idea. But I'm excited to find out!