It was meant to be a circular walk. Somewhere or perhaps many times we took the wrong path, went through the gate, or got distracted by trees, flowers, or views. At one point we found ourselves deep in a forest staring at gigantic yellow lilies. It was glorious. And we were gloriously lost. It was meant to have been a 2 hour loop, with half of it by the sea. We were on hour 3 with no sign of the sea.
But here’s the thing, it was the middle of the day, and the sun was shining. There was no sense of panic, worry, or anxiety. While we didn’t know where we were, we had confidence that we would find the sea and our way to back to the hotel before nighfall. If it had been dark, we would have viewed our situation differently. We felt we had time on our side.
It made me wonder, when we panic or are anxious, how can we change a parameter like time, to reduce our anxiety? How often is the time constraint self-inflicted? I know for me it is more often than I care to admit.
How about for you?
Photo by Jake Melara
Hi Amos
To answer the question meant re-examining the last couple of years when I began to physically experience anxiety. A crucial re-learning was to stop attempting to solve others life situations while lifting their pain onto myself. I have become more mindful of who I am walking in a field of flowers with, on a sunny day.
This doesn’t say anything about time but walking and working in a garden is joy to my soul while I figure out what we are having for dinner.
Ecclesiasties 3:22