Hi,
My name is Randi May.
Thanks for joining me today as we explore my book,
Reflections in My Twenties,
Searching for Meaning.
This book can be found on Amazon or you can order it on Kindle as an eBook.
But today you can simply listen with me here on Insight Timer.
Today,
Our second chapter of the book that we're going to be exploring is called Slowing Down in the Fast Lane.
And the quote beneath the title is,
Embrace the delays,
They too are a part of your story.
So get comfortable and find a cozy place to be.
Put your feet up and listen for the next few minutes.
If you have a journal,
You're welcome to bring your journal with you as you snuggle up in your bed or your couch or wherever you are.
And maybe you might feel inspired to write a few things down because by the end of this chapter,
We'll get to a reflective part where we'll talk about veneration and daily life,
How to honor daily life and be in the present moment.
So I'll begin to read our second chapter.
It's a beautiful day in the middle of summer.
The roads are dry and the sky is clear.
You're driving along the highway cruising at 130 kilometers an hour.
In the distance,
You can see a car that you're approaching quickly.
You can average speed pretty well.
And you know this car is going slow.
You're already trying to think about how you can maneuver around this car or tailgate the vehicle until the driver feels forced to get out of the way.
You're now right behind this car and it is forcing you to drive at 100 kilometers an hour.
You look around frantically and try to find a way out.
You're now flustered and agitated.
The music that you were singing along with is no longer soothing.
It has become annoying and you've turned it off.
There's nowhere to turn to.
There are cars everywhere going so fast,
You cannot make a lane change.
Now you're stuck for four kilometers behind this vehicle.
You drive by a sign that says maximum speed 100 kilometers an hour.
Right after the sign,
There is a police officer with the radar gun out pulling cars over.
Was the car in front of you driving too slowly or were you driving too fast?
Most of us are rushing through the day at full speed.
We hit the gas pedal from the time our alarm clock startled us out of bed.
Out of our sleep in the morning,
We rushed through the day simultaneously working,
Texting,
Typing,
Talking,
Reading,
Meeting and greeting.
We eat lunch at our desk or forget to eat at all.
We are so busy and preoccupied that we miss the signs that are asking us and begging us to slow down,
Pause,
Breathe,
Think and reflect.
The signs are the moments we get stuck in line while waiting to buy our lunch.
We are waiting for someone and they are 10 minutes late.
When you're waiting for the train and it is 15 minutes delayed.
Life gives us moments just to be.
It gives us time to pause and be present for a brief moment.
We have two choices.
Fill these precious moments with emails and phone calls that can wait until tomorrow or we can enjoy being one with our breath.
We can even try to fill these moments with gratitude,
Allowing the delays,
Computer crashes and late appointments to be moments when we are grateful for being alive and be aware of the air that we breathe.
This brings us to the next part of our book.
It's called Veneration and Daily Life.
Veneration and Daily Life really all it is,
Is how do we honor daily life?
Just like we think about the term veneration,
You think about venerating a saint.
But in this purpose and for this book,
We're talking about how do we honor daily life?
This chapter talked about slowing down in the fast lane and starting to notice moments when life is forcing us to stop.
And what are the choices we make in those moments when we can stop?
Do we breathe?
Do we reflect?
Do we allow the body to relax for a moment amongst the chaos and busyness?
Today's veneration and daily life inspiration says,
Find the moments during your day and embrace the delays.
In those moments,
Pause,
Breathe and be grateful.
Taking a pause requires us to explore self-awareness so that we are connected to our body and environment.
Breathing allows us to take full inhalations,
Expanding our chest and filling our lungs and full exhalations,
Releasing the tension in our shoulders and allowing our stomach to soften.
In the beginning,
It may be helpful to count to four as you breathe in and count down to one as you breathe out and explore your full capacity to breathe and be present with the breath.
Gratitude allows us to see the light and joy that surrounds us,
Reminding us how precious our moments truly are.
So if you have your journal out or maybe you just want to pause and reflect for a moment,
That chapter in Veneration and Life encourages us to take a pause and reflect.
If we're breathing,
Taking a nice deep breath in,
Counting from one to four.
If you'd like to do that now,
I can guide you through that practice.
So breathing in,
One,
Two,
Three,
Four and pausing and breathing out,
Four,
Three,
Two,
One.
Placing what it felt like to take that nice big deep breath in and really settle into the body as you exhale.
Today you might have had a delay already,
Whether it was being late for the train,
A delayed flight or maybe someone didn't show up for a meeting quite on time.
If it's happened already,
Notice what you did when you had the time to take a pause.
Not placing any judgment,
Just noticing what occurred in that moment while you were waiting.
And if it hasn't happened yet,
I hope you look forward to your next delay or pause and take a moment to stop,
Breathe and be in the here and now with your mind,
Body,
Breath and spirit.
So I hope you have a wonderful day today and embrace the delays.
There's something special waiting for you in those moments.
Have a wonderful day.
Talk to you soon.
