Sometimes I forget to release the Pause button
written by
Jeannette Zink
January 17, 2016
It is the
season of winter… my mood now synchronized with the pause button on any
electronic device … life set to hibernate (pause)
until the first sighting of spring. The
image of tea leaves settled at the bottom of my cup, as if huddled in a state
of hiatus; patiently wait for the bitter fingers of freezing cold to perform their
burlesque cabaret -- tossing gloves of warmth to the cheers of a more temperate
agreeable climate. Just to get through the first three months of a new year is the goal…
that’s how to survive … just to get
through.
The only
problem with this lifeboat survival tactic for the dreadful days following the winter
solstice is that surprisingly “life is
happening” during this same time slot.
There are things to do, places to go, and goals to be achieved within
contracted expectations. One cannot require
life to pause. Life itself perpetually moves forward in an upright tray position … whether we
hibernate or not; whether we want to move forward or not … life is in motion.
What to do
with this dilemma … living vs. hibernating … is one for the mystics, literary
essayists and the Bible to
address. In my state of lethargy, I turn
to one of my favorite English essayist, James Allen, and to one of my favorite
books in the Bible, Book of Proverbs,
to find the antonymic wisdom in this season of my freezing discontent.
The title of
James Allen’s 1903 essay, As a Man
Thinketh, was influenced by the biblical Book of Proverbs, chapter 23, verse 7 (King James): “As a man thinketh in his heart, so is
he.” Mr. Allen’s literary application of
this verse was one man’s attempt to help all mankind to pull the strings of cerebral
thought to a higher level of understanding and bring … perhaps, kicking and
screaming … to a place of tolerance and insight for the possibilities that may challenge
our winter melancholy of thought. Might
there be a better response than my personal favorite: “No, I cannot take this. I am
going to my warm and safe state of hibernation.
This too shall pass. See you in
the spring.” Could the key to our circumstances be endured beyond our sense
of suspended reality simply by forming “thoughts” that transform us, as if our
winter solstice magician waved their wand of mercy, to a more positive place of
receptive gratitude for this special moment in the four season cycle?
I, for one, will
gladly cast my vote to give Mr. Allen and the biblical verse a try. As I type this essay, I find myself shivering
and dreading going outdoors. The
sunshine-filled sky has now been brushed with the paint of overcast gray
tones. The trumpets sound the imminent
arrival of the royals – Queen of Snow and King of Ice. With this dismal imaginary, I hold tight my
hot cup of cocoa and nibble on the Proustian madeleine cookie in hope that the Remembrance of Things Past will metaphorically spring forth, my winter of spring-like
content. A time when a weary cold night
is greeted by the friendly local meteorologist’s forecast for a prolonged and
gradual warming trend.
Thus, with
the determination of an Allen-ish
decree, I embrace the weeding of my mental winter garden. The weeds of misery and woe replaced with a
sunnier disposition clothed in woolen comfort and toasted by the aroma of hot
apple cider. I hug tight the philosophy
that each day will somehow progress at the pace of each ticking second no
matter how grumpy my attitude toward the day.
Why, I ask the winter gods, do I covet despair when delight is just as
easily an open market commodity all the ready for acquisition? Good question, one can almost hear the gardener
voice with the struggle to unearth each useless mental weed. The seeds of good and fruitful thought are
far more pleasing and productive to the betterment of all things great than one
second of wintry glum. So, why wait to release
the pause button on life? The universe is moving on, with or without
us, and it can be a beautiful ride, if we just let it happen.
Thus, the
gardener’s rake and shovel, tools for eradicating the undesirable twigs, prepare
the landscape of beauty rendered seed by seed.
These are also my tools, my support
group, for a proverbial winter clearance.
The mother of all winter sales … all bad moods are up for grabs … all
must go … the great clear out … making space for the wonders that surely lie in
wait to salute each fresh New Year.
Please do
not waste one second hibernating under the guise of winter doldrums. Life is worthy of more than the effortless wish
to just get through so to harvest the
warmer days of spring. Each day is a
gift and deserves our utmost attention.
My kindred
spirits … please don’t forget to release the pause button on your life … life is happening, now. Hop on the
winter sleigh ride … it just might be fun… regardless the thermostatic setting.
Blessings to
all and try to keep a warm heart and have faith … spring will be here soon! Until
then, enjoy each glorious day.
You may enjoy visiting my blogs:
No comments:
Post a Comment