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Episode 289 Looking for Direction
Birds sing. A summer breeze blows. Progress is made with every swipe of the knife. No phones ring. No glowing screens demand attention. No music or voices can be heard. I don't hear power washers as they clean my roof and I don't pay anyone. And I don't pay anyone. I clean the moss from each shingle with a sharp knife. I'm in the flow or in the zone as they say.
This is Retirement Talk. I'm Del Lowery.
What do you do that makes time disappear? We have all had those moments when we are doing something and then we look at our watch and exclaim, "I can't believe that! Where did the time go?" Those are the moments when we are most ourselves. We have found our bliss. We are in the flow. We have found our game. We are doing just exactly what we should be doing. When retired folks tell me that they just don't know what to do in retirement I think of those moments when we loose ourselves. That's where we need to look for guidance.
This affirms the old adage that it is when we loose ourselves that we find ourselves. We might loose ourselves in our music or art. We might loose ourselves in our garden or kitchen. We might loose ourselves volunteering at the animal shelter or helping to build a house for Habitat for Humanity. When we pause, or the task is complete we take a deep breath and become aware of where we are or what we have been doing. We are reminded of Thoreau's line about drifting idling on Walden Pond and ceasing to think and beginning to be. We just are.
We like those moments when we overcome our own self-awareness and merge into something greater than ourselves. We are one with the universe as the Buddhist would say. We try to build these moments into our daily lives. At least I do. For me It starts with practicing the art of Tai Chi every morning. The focus is on balance and movement for just a few minutes. I concentrate, move, but yet remain in still and then I sort of disappear. Muscles in my body come awake sharing and seeking balance with others. Lungs expand and contact. Eyes see nothing. A meditative state is entered and. It is a great feeling.
Those new to retirement and having a tough time figuring out just exactly what they want to do with this new phase of life could do well by asking themselves what they really like to do. And by that I mean things they like to do so much that they loose themselves in it. What is it that you do where you loose all track of time?
Another place I loose track of time is when I play my guitar. I do this for a one or two hours each morning and another half-hour to and hour each night. (That is unless something special is going on - like company or a night out.) I always have a hard time stopping and can't believe the time. I've been lost.
Time also evaporates for me is when I write - like one of these podcasts. I never know exactly what the topic might be when I sit down and begin and I certainly don't know where it will lead. Once started it just moves and then I notice that I have said all I really want to about a specific topic. Then it is over and I look at the clock. I am always surprised by the lapse of time.
It is that loss of oneself that is appealing. It is that area that some psychologist call 'flow' that is so desirable. We get swept away. That is why that phrase is used when referring to someone who has just fallen in love. They are "swept away". Time stops for them and their life is caught in a current of their own highest desires.
Athletes sometimes use that term "flow" to indicate rhythm and perfect blending of intention and action. They are in balance. Sometimes they use the word "zone" to mean the same thing. They have their "game on".
That is what we really desire in life. We don't really want to sit in a chair and watch others live on television and we don't really want to walk the golf course and count the strokes. We want to loose ourselves in our thought. We want to loose ourselves on the golf course. We want to find our bliss and then experience it as much as we can.
For me, I'll just keep that ladder propped up against the house. Who would have thought that a little bit of moss and a sharp knife is all I would need?
This is Retirement Talk.
If you have questions, comments or a story you would like to share please contact: del@retirementtalk.org
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from. A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops. Copyright 2010 RetirementTalk.org |
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