Finding the right rhythm

A quote attributed to Galileo feels appropriate as I start my weekly reflections early on a Friday morning. “If you could see the earth illuminated when you were in a place as dark as night, it would look to you more splendid than the moon.” It is hard to believe that Galileo was given a life sentence because he taught that the earth went around the sun. But, the dominant world view was the the earth was the center of everything. He saw the cycle of seasons, the rhythm of a day, the patterns of the stars and planets, and drew a different conclusion.

Our lives have a rhythm. Some of the cycles are outside of our control (even if we want to find ways to control them). The sun rises and sets (you see what I did there, right?), the weather changes, our hearts beat, we have no direct control over these things (even if we set our alarm clock to get rolling, work inside to avoid the weather, and create priorities that raise our heart rates. There are many rhythms of life that we can control. The sense of urgency that we create every day, the packing of our calendars with events, the habit of checking email to find something to respond to…all of these things influence our perspective and, in some ways, imprison us in a cycle that feeds something inside, but has a consequence.

Take a lesson from Galileo. Look around, but more importantly, look inside. If you feel overburdened, stressed out, and life is a struggle, you are out of alignment. As Marcus Aurelius said,?"You have power over your mind - not outside events. Realize this, and you will find strength.”?Some of my friends have a weekly practice of purposefully stopping what they do (By the way, the cycle of the week is not tied to any astronomical events). In a world that seems to reward urgency and in a sense of self that is grounded in getting things done, we can get lost. I know I need to do a much better job of intentionally setting time to pause, reflect, and slow down. There is tons of research on the positive effects of intentionally stopping things rather than always doing things. Life outcomes include improve mental health, increased energy, stronger focus, improved productivity. Some even indicate taking time for self can actually increase your length of life, not just quality.

One of the experiences this week was exploring how resources from Stephen Covey could be offered to members of our community. What we will do is still up in the air, but the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People are just as relevant today as they were in 1989. (Be proactive, Begin with the end in mind, Put first things?first, Think win-win, Seek first to understand, then be understood,?Synergies, and Sharpen the saw). Covey said,?"The key is not to prioritize what's on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities”?Wow! A man who didn’t have to deal with Zoom/Teams meetings, calendar invitations, a smart phone, and emails seems to have insight into one of our greatest challenges.

Remember, if everything is a priority, nothing is. I hope this weekend you find time to pause and reflect on your life’s purpose. I encourage you take a moment to express gratitude to our Veterans who serve us today or served us with their lives in the past. “Stop” might be much harder to do “go” for most of us. So, give it a try, and stop for just a moment (or two). The darkness of our busy lives could be illuminated through a brief slow-down of reflection and realignment.