Today, stop and sit down.
Find someplace in your travels to just stop. Out grocery shopping or going to Target today? I dare you to sit on one of those benches right inside or outside the doors. Just for a few minutes. Or stop at the park on your way home. Find somewhere to sit: a bench, steps, a swing, the grass, a hammock. The couch or lawn furniture displays at the store could totally count.
It's a forced time out.
Think Lane and Rory in the gazebo, catching up for five minutes.
Or Lorelai and Rory sitting on the hay bale when they were too tired to walk any further.
In Stars Hollow, people stop and sit all the time. It's hilarious. Lorelai and Rory or Sookie and Lorelai will be talking and they just stop and sit down in the middle of town! How often do we see that or do that? It gives them time to process, think things through, and keeps them connected to everything around them. It seems to be second nature to everyone in Stars Hollow to just stop and sit down.
Now for us, it may takes some adjusting. You'll probably feel a little uncomfortable at first. We're used to going at the speed of light all day. Just stay with it a minute. You'll get better. Let the anxiety come and then watch it go. Sit there and enjoy the awareness that settles in next. Give it time. Practice whenever possible. B-line for the bench at the mall or on the sidewalk.
Most days I'm in such a hurry, I don't even stop to breathe. Today, however, when I went outside to put the kids in the truck, there was a wet misty cloud surrounding my neighborhood and it just made me stop. I woke up to my life, going on right then and there. My body, mind and spirit connected with the moment and my surroundings. I felt the magic of Stars Hollow, my Stars Hollow. I was surprised when I felt it. I loved it.
Sit.
Take in the atmosphere. Breathe it in. Let your senses wake up and your body connect with the life and energy around you as you force a time out. If you're with your kids, all of you can stop and sit on a bench. They'll probably think it's fun. If not, let them run around the park and you can climb to the top of the monkey bars and sit there. Sometimes we have to tune them out for a moment while we reconnect with reality.
Wherever you are, look around. Find something familiar in your line of sight and enjoy that it's part of your world. Look for something you never noticed before. You will continue to be surprised at how full and wonderful the life in you and around you already is. Sometimes we just need to sit down and take it all in.
Followups to this post: Followup to Sit-Think Lane and Rory in the Gazebo
