Winding Down

Poetry is a felt change of consciousness (Owen Barfield)

The rain came in drizzles at first. A multi-layered sky overhead contained patches of some darkened clouds that seemed only a little bit menacing. Proven wrong, the droplets began to fall jubilantly, as if released from their cloudy prison, and can now dance freely through the air. I still have laundry to do, which requires me to go outside and down my steps, so I quicken my pace to dodge some droplets. 

Long weeks sometimes leave me drained and require heavy doses of winding down in reflection and quiet. Having a cosy home to spend time in is one of the best solutions for me to reflect on my feelings from a week. Each week presents its challenges, and attending to them requires both energy and thought, which is good, but to regain my calm sense of peace, time spent in some quiet solitude is essential for me feeling back on track.

Here are a few thoughts and ways I wind down from a week, and seek to quiet my soul again and lean into God more deeply:

- Take my journal to a different spot in my home to write. Sometimes simply changing the place I sit to write can open up my imagination with a different view or posture. 

- Read a good story that draws me in to beauty of words and imagery. My current fantastic read is Charles Williams' novel Many Dimensions.

- Make a cup of tea in a teapot and use a lovely tea cup. The art of making and experiencing tea is such a wonderful, simple enjoyment.

- Spin some vinyl of some classical music. My favourite is my Bach Brandenburg Concertos record. 

-  Listen to the rain fall outside. Rest by a window and just pay attention to the gift of nature that God created, and the life-sustaining goodness it brings to us. 

- Reflect on the best parts of the week, focusing on good memories and joys that I saw or experienced.

- Sometimes we need to shift our focus off ourselves, so I remind myself that those around me are probably facing a bigger struggle than I am, and I pray for more patience and compassion because I don't always know what is in another's heart.

- Sit in quiet thoughtfulness, opening up to God. As I am still, my heart and soul listens and God's love can penetrate my sometimes hardened shell.