between work and kids, friends and family, facebook and iphone, it's almost impossible to filter out the constant noise in our daily lives. we run ourselves ragged, moving from one thing to the next, and downtimes are spent in distraction: surfing the web as we watch tv, scanning facebook for status updates, reveling in reality tv or gossip rags to remind ourselves that celebrities may have fame and fortune, but they also have flaws—botox faces, cottage cheese thighs, and every blunder pounced on by rabid paparazzi.
i'm not going to lie. i'm as guilty as the next person for withering away the time on these frivolous, yet highly entertaining pursuits. but it's also important—actually essential—to seek out stillness.
when was the last time you embraced being alone?
whenever i go home to visit my family, i make a pilgrimage to this amazing metropark. off the beaten path, filled with bikers in training and seniors getting in their daily stroll, is this haven. where i can be alone with my thoughts. or truly in the moment with my loved ones. we don't talk much. we walk. we listen to the water rushing downstream. birds chirping. trees billowing in the wind. we breathe in the air deeply, all the while wishing we could capture some and keep it in a bottle for a time later on, when we really need it.
ever wonder why we only allow ourselves these quiet moments—in stillness—when we're on vacation, away from home?
what most of us forget is that finding moments to recharge, to invest in yourself, don't have to come when you're 500 miles away from home. take an extra 10 to linger on that latte. explore your hood for hidden treasures. take a stroll. go for a run. find ways to filter out the noise. because stolen moments—embracing the stillness—can make all the difference.