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Front Porch Sitting: Pause & Be

by | Jul 20, 2021 | Summertime Edition

One of the larger themes of Wisdom from the Woods is learning how to stop, pause and “be.” Most of our lives are filled with “doing”– constantly on the go.

In addition to the medical challenges of COVID, for many, it was psychologically difficult to not be able to get out, be engaged, and be “busy.”

Now that the world is slowly & cautiously opening again, a collective “sigh” can be heard coming from two different perspectives. One is “Thank goodness we can get out and do stuff again!” the other is “I don’t want my life to be as stressed and scheduled as it was before COVID!”

Essential workers never had a choice, and their lives had added stress and hours during this past year. But for many, new realities emerged of what a different kind of life could look like.

Life is a balance of “being” and “doing”, and for sure, you may find yourself thinking about choices in how you want to live your life in 2021 and beyond.

When we speak of “front porch sitting”, it may conjure an image of grandparents sitting in rocking chairs as an activity just for old folks.

But, is “being” time only for those without enough to do?

In Part One of Wisdom from the Woods, Ginny shared how she created intentional “being” time and the benefits it brought her.

She discovered blocked feelings, healed past hurts, and awakened to beautiful fall trees and leaves around her.

What could you discover with intentional “being” time this summer, intentional front-porch sitting? 

I don’t have a front porch, but I have a great balcony in our high-rise condo.

I confess that pre-Wisdom from the Woods, I didn’t use it much. 

While we were writing the book, I discovered a super-comfy chair, bought it, and put it on our balcony. I added seasonal flowers and started tending them. in the past, nothing would grow on the balcony. But after I started sitting with the plants, noticing, and caring for them each day, the plants flourished. The time on the balcony did even more for me and my soul.

My front-porch-balcony-sitting time gave my brain a chance to rest from accomplishing tasks and driving to attain the goals for the day. I learned how to fully focus on the moment-by-moment changing clouds in the sky  and say prayers of gratitude for their majesty.

Recently after a Texas thunderstorm, I walked out to the balcony to sit for a few minutes and saw the last raindrops clinging to succulent plants.

Start A Joy Journal

When it comes time to have fun, are you too tired to come up with ideas?  Answer…start a JOY Journal. 

Here’s how:

  1. Pick a favorite blank journal that makes you happy and want to open it up. (a cover that is a favorite color, has a picture that appeals to you,  or the feel of luxurious soft leather…the possibilities are limitless)
  2. Dedicate 10 or more pages to four categories (you can really make it spiffy by adding tabs for each section)
    • 2—5  Minutes  (tell a joke, text a loved one, visualize your favorite vacation spot…
    • 5—30  Minutes  (browse a fun website, listen to favorite tunes, read…)
    • 30 Minutes—1/2 Day  (visit a museum, go hiking, party with friends…)
    • ½ Day or Longer  (day trip, weekend travel get-a-way, attend a festival…)
  3. Now, begin to think of what is fun for you.  As each thought comes to mind, enter it into the appropriate amount of time it takes to have that type of fun.  As a start, make it a goal to get at least 10 ways to have fun in each time increment.
  4. As you discover new ways to have fun, keep adding them to your journal.
  5. When you need an idea for fun, you will have a personal resource at your fingertips, even if you only have five minutes to have fun!

Source:  You Don’t Have to Go Home from Work Exhausted! McGee-Cooper, Trammell, Lau

 

I thought… “I would have missed this beautiful moment had I stayed at my desktop computer.”

What could “being” time look like for you?

Is it in your backyard?
On the front porch?
Or somewhere in-between?

Is it possible to rest for a moment and be fully present to the beauty of what is in front of you, here, right now? 

Give yourself the gift of pausing, feeling, and appreciating the blessings of life.

Wisdom From The Woods: Summertime Edition

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