The beginning of September always feels like the beginning of a new year to me – I guess those childhood ‘back to school’ preparations every fall really made their mark! New pencils and notebooks – fresh supplies that seemed to carry with them the promise of new possibilities – new teachers; new classrooms; new subjects and classmates to look forward to.
Of course, as we are all too aware, September as an adult is quite different! Meetings, deadlines, family and work responsibilities, have long since taken the place of pencils and classrooms. And even those ‘mature students’ going back to classrooms will likely agree, the pressures are much different as an adult. Yet, there is still a hint of ‘something in the air’ if we can stop long enough to feel it. The trouble is, I don’t think we stop often enough at all.
Busy schedules, especially those that seem to come upon us suddenly after a slower-paced summer, tend to make us feel like we have to jettison anything that isn’t a priority, and what I’ve noticed is that – for many people – the first thing to get dropped is social connection. Whether getting together with colleagues, friends, or family, there seems to be a tendency to think of relational obligations as ‘optional’.
I’d like to encourage all of us to reconsider that perspective. In a world that continuously crowds our personal and professional space with technology, automation, and efficiency, perhaps we should ask ourselves: where am I nurturing my HUMANITY? What activities do I intentionally give time to invest in relationships, rather than productivity? What – or who – is feeding my soul?
Perhaps this week you might call a friend you haven’t seen in awhile. Or meet with a colleague for a drink or a chat. Maybe schedule time to do an activity you love. Ask yourself: what is really a priority for me? As Barbara Brown Taylor says, “The great wisdom traditions of the world all recognize that the main impediment to living a life of meaning is being self-absorbed.”
Every blessing,
Mother Amanda