Heartwork newsletter – 18-12-2022
How often have you hit the unsubscribe button in the recent weeks?
The e-mail rush hours during Black Friday Week, which was followed by Black Friday, to be chased by Cyber Monday, with Cyber Monday Week in hot pursuit, for the Dutchies succeeded by Pakjes Avond of Sinterklaas and to end in the grand finale of consumerism of Christmas.
Just typing this makes me feel breathless again.
And in business it is no different with shareholder meetings, business plans, budgets to be approved or to be spent before year-end, annual performance appraisals, not to mention the final commercial push to meet annual targets (and related bonusses).
What has happened to the silent time of the year in the Northern Hemisphere?
In nature, at this time of the year everything slows down. The mice, squirrels and other rodents go into semi-hibernation, whereas the bears have long disappeared into their cosy dens for full hibernation. The trees have lost their leaves and their juices have receded into the roots, waiting for spring. The grass has dried up and is frozen over.
The farmers around us are following the example of nature by mending and repairing their equipment and mostly resting to recover from the insanely busy summer months when they work flat out from dawn to dusk. During winter they catch up with their friends and family and it’s the time for story telling.
By contrast, the rest of humanity in the modern world speeds up every time the end of the calendar year nears. We don’t allow us the luxury of time to stop and marvel at the beautiful icy and slow world around us. We become anxious and stressed, because our body knows it’s time to slow down and yet we keep on pushing.
So here is a radical idea: how about taking a leaf out of the farmers books and putting the breaks on before the Christmas holidays?
- Clear your calendar one week before and start slowing down.
- Take stock of what needs mending and repairing before the productive season start again.
Perhaps your body needs mending and repairing. Either in form of sport, physiotherapy or a long postponed doctor visit.
Maybe there is a project that is important to you, but was neglected because of other priorities. How would it be to attend to it mindfully?
Could there be relationships that require some loving care and attention? With a colleague, with your children, friends or family.
What ever it is, what would it take to be radical in slowing down and attend to what needs mending?
This blog is based on the Heartwork newsletter, 18th of December 2022. Would you like to read more inspiring content? Subscribe to our newsletter!