Returning from my walk across Scotland and elated with my accomplishments, I returned tethered to shore in my safe harbor. I’m energized and wondering what’s my next project? After a few weeks, my upbringing kicks in, and the voices of my parents echo in my head. “You can’t just sit around. Do something useful.” Languishing in the tides of the unknown is unthinkable…or it used to be.
Now I find that daydreaming, sleeping, and practicing silence allow my body and mind to clear. My imagination is unfettered and free to explore without a storm of to-dos or waves of perceived commitments. It’s free to play with possibilities.
So today, when I’m wanting to move myself quickly through the unknown to “what’s next,” I surrender and reframe “productive,” trusting in the process. I breathe deeply, and reread Anne Morrow Lindberg’s lines from, A Gift From the Sea,“The waves echo behind me. Patience—Faith—Solitude—Intermittency…there are other beaches to explore. There are more shells to find. This is only a beginning.”