Unhook from the Perpetual Progress Grid

I have been a member of a group called the Women in Business
Connection (WIBC for short) in Cambridge, MA for about four
years. We get together for lunch meetings once a month. Last
week at our December event several of the women commented to me
how much they liked my newsletter. It is always nice to hear
complimentary feedback but one woman went even farther - she
said it was like getting a "Zen moment" in her email. (Thanks
Cibeline!)

Her comment got me thinking. That is exactly what I want to
provide - Zen moments for my readers. I am in no way a Zen
expert but I do hope that reading my monthly messages might
offer you a moment to temporarily unhook from what I call the
Perpetual Progress Grid of life. My wish is to share with you a
moment of reflection, appreciation and calm.

So today, I will describe for you how I “unhook from the grid”
for brief moments of time and at random intervals. I believe it
is this short but consistent "unhooking" that keeps me
refreshed, creative and ultimately at peace. By sharing my
techniques with you, I invite you to borrow, create or identify
your own.

I "unhook" from the pressures, desires, thrills, and obligations
of the Perpetual Progress Grid when:

-- I hear my dog pitter-patter up the stairs to join me in my
office and I stop what I am doing for a few minutes, pat her
belly and thank her for coming to visit me.

--I take a work break, drive into town and get coffee at my
favorite independent coffee shop with my husband.

--I turn off my phone, ignore email and descend into creative
bliss when writing.

-- I take a moment to stare out a window and notice the way the
rain, snow or sunshine is reflecting off the glass at just that
moment.

--I attend a yoga class and gratefully stretch both my mind and
limbs to their full expression.

--I take a deep breath and feel it extend my abdomen.

--I drive slowly and in silence.

--I rhythmically clean my house, cook a meal, wrap a gift or wash
dishes (yes, I sometimes like the feel soapy hot water on my
hands).

--I sit anywhere and watch the world for a moment - the people,
the trees and the clouds...whatever is happening in front of me
from my vantage point.

--I sing (badly too, trust me).

When I do these things I am temporarily "free floating" and my
mind is at some level disengaged from the need to achieve. It is
a place where small moments of joy live.

With the holiday season upon us, I invite you to occasionally
unhook and allow yourself to free float. Your reward will come
to you in the form of more peace, comfort and joy.