Wisdom of the Ages

by Scott Kennedy

My grandmother, who lived well into her 100th year, lived by a simple motto.  She often said, "Never stand when you can sit and never sit when you can lay."  Her life was not one of ease or of wealth.  She was married to a Chicago policeman during prohibition and the great depression, widowed at a young age with four boys to take care of.  I do not know of all the struggles that she endured, but my grandmother was always happy and enjoyed life.  I have no memory of her complaining about how hard her life was, she was a strong woman and very comfortable with herself.  I believe her motto of finding the time to stop, sit or preferably lay - in other words, to relax, gave her strength and inner peace.  She understood that allowing the mind and body to truly rest is empowering.

Everybody’s life has stuff.  The question is, are you handling your own life’s stuff in the best way possible?  Do you give your mind and body the fuel it needs to be as strong as it can be?  Do you take the time to relax and give yourself a chance to recharge?

Many people don’t give themselves the time to truly relax.  However, it is not only okay to take a moment to relax, but also extremely beneficial in handling life’s stuff.  Taking the time to pause during life’s race can actually save time by empowering you to act more efficiently and productively, therefore, having more time and energy to enjoy each moment.

With today’s hectic pace and pressures, I understand that being told that to relax actually gives you more time probably doesn’t seem to make much sense.  How is it possible to stop without getting further behind the eight ball?  With phrases like, ‘I hit the ground running’ ‘I don’t have time to breathe’ and ‘There are not enough hours in the day’ being a very common part of our everyday language, I do understand that this concept may be hard to believe.  However, why is it that we have the time to maintain our automobiles with oil changes and tune-ups to keep them running efficiently, but we do not afford such care to ourselves?  If our vehicles are not maintained, ultimately it costs us time.  So what about our inner vehicle?  If the energy of our mind and body are not maintained, it will cost us much more than a non-maintained automobile.  

Is it time you had a tune-up?

Scott Kennedy, C.C.H. is a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist at the Center for Integrative Therapy in Spring Lake, MI.  He can be contacted at (616) 638-6236.