“It's like in the great stories, Mr. Frodo. The ones that really mattered. Full of darkness and danger they were. And sometimes you didn't want to know the end. Because how could the end be happy? How could the world go back to the way it was when so much bad had happened? But in the end, it’s only a passing thing, this shadow. Even darkness must pass.
A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer. Those were the stories that stayed with you. That meant something, even if you were too small to understand why. But I think, Mr. Frodo, I do understand. I know now. Folk in those stories had lots of chances of turning back, only they didn’t.
They kept going, because they were holding on to something. That there is some good in this world, and it's worth fighting for.”—-J.R.R. Tolkien
November is here...
It is an auspicious time to rest, rejuvenate, reflect and even celebrate all the great stories that you lived and experienced this past year.
The darkness, the light, and every experience in between has arisen on the movie screen of life. We have lived through so much in one year.
Now is the time to consider rejuvenation again. You know the word. It is the act of making something newly fresh or full of energy. Rejuvenation makes something old seem young again. It is the new day. It is the fresh outlook. It is the sun that shines and makes things clear.
In order to make fresh one must pull back, restrain from further exhaustion, depletion, indifference or dullness. There is something good in this world, in our world, but if we are feeling stuck, burned out or uninspired it is hard to see and hard to fight for.
So I ask you. Do you make time to rejuvenate? How do you rejuvenate?
Wellness is a balancing act between rest and activity and when you don’t make the time to rejuvenate not only do you pay the price but your loved ones do too. They feel the cloud and the poverty of spirit that hangs over your being.
These last two months can be a challenge to find that balance. From holiday gatherings, end of year meetings, shopping, longer lines at the grocery store, traffic, and even avoiding the flu and covid. It is no wonder that by December 31, we end up hungover from the “Holi-daze”.
Don’t sacrifice your sanity. Make the intention that you will find some time for YOU. Schedule it. Protect it. Show up for yourself by finding a way to unplug where you can. This can include a digital detox. Spending too much time on social media? The news? Shut it down. Even one day can make a difference.
Although there are diverse ways each person might rejuvenate the prescription is always the same:
Recognize that regular rejuvenation is necessary for everyone.
Give yourself permission that it is ok to slow down, pull out or pause.
Get to Nature
Spending time in nature is linked to both cognitive benefits and improvements in mood. Nature improves one’s attention, taps creativity, releases stress and transforms stale energy. Nature can turn you inside out.
It makes sense. Not too long ago our ancestors were living under the stars communing with nature in ways we have long forgotten. We innately connect to nature and it is often the little things that become a sanctuary. A garden of flowers. A starry night. The symphony of bird song. The earthy smell after a rain fall. The setting sun. The dappled light of palm trees dancing in the wind. Nature is vast and and in her infinite ways she can offer shelter, peace of mind and renewal.
Elizabeth Gilbert, best known for her 2006 memoir: Eat, Pray, Love, said it best when she was asked how she rejuvenates.
“Dear Ones –
Years ago, when I was going through a really hard time, a friend of mine who was a naturalist gave me some beautiful advice about how to best take care of myself.
He told me, “When an animal in the wild has been injured, it has only two strategies for how to heal itself: It can rest, or it can go to the water. Right now, try to do as much of both as possible.”
Rest.
And then go to the water.
Drink the water. Submerge yourself in the water. Touch the water. Look at the water.
Then go back to sleep.
Repeat as necessary, until healing occurs.
Sometimes I forget these two magical principals — how to rest, and how to go to the water. Then I get overwhelmed by life’s challenges, and I trick myself into believing that I need a much more complicated cure than your average wounded animal. And sometimes I do need a more complicated cure, I guess.
But not usually.
Usually sleep and water will do the trick.
It always reminds me of that Isak Dinesen quote: “The cure for everything is salt water: tears, sweat, or the sea."
This morning — after a good night’s sleep — I went to the water. She has never let me down yet, and she didn’t let me down this morning, either.
(That said, when the ocean isn’t available, a long hot bath will work. Or a cold shower. Or standing naked under the garden sprinkler, which has been known to change the energy of a day, as well! As a final resort: Just drink 8 ounces of the stuff...whatever it takes! Get thee to water, people.)
Just rest, and go to the water.
It’s all gonna be alright.
That’s what the water always tells me, anyhow. And I believe in the water.”
Luckily we live Hawaii. If you are here in the Islands…we are surrounded by the “stuff” and a walk on the beach might be just what you needed.
“Whatever it is” for you…don’t get stuck into circular pasterns that spiral down. Unplug. Unhook. Restrain. Make the priority to rejuvenate where you can even if it means saying “no” to something your patterning is saying YES to. It is only a short while and chances are when you return you will find some spark and some good to keep going.
And….let’s not forget:
November is an excellent month to turn up the volume on gratitude.
“We can only be said to be alive in those moments when our hearts are conscious of our treasures.”—Thornton Wilder
What are your treasures? Can you feel the aliveness of them in your heart?
written by: Jennifer Reuter