12 « November « 2008 « . The Dessert Years .

Archive for November 12th, 2008

Going off-grid

There are times when one is completely tapped; nothing more to offer … Barely able to close the window blinds, unplug the phone and turn off all things plugged-in, in order to achieve off-grid status.

Going off-grid. That is how I moved through this past Sunday and Monday. Too much information being processed and running faster was — in no way — keeping up with everything; I put out an APB for my sanity!

Going off-grid requires letting go of what other people might think, one’s own standards as well as the wide-variety and miscellany of shoulds — hiding around every corner!

There is something about silence and inactivity that heals us from within; gently erasing our mental chalkboard, defragging and debugging our proverbial hard drive. And relaxing the previously thought-to-be terminally taunt state of one’s neck and shoulders …

I like living. I have sometimes been wildly, despairingly, acutely miserable, racked with sorrow, but through it all I still know that just to be alive is a grand thing. ~Agatha Christie

Life happens. And the necessity of foregoing “one more thing” or tolerating even one more second of frustration, sorrow or outright misery is justified, needed and downright essential much more than we allow!

All too often, we enslave ourselves in a prison of activity and remain sentenced there by the guilt and false accusations of other people … and yes, even charges we make against ourselves.

The bars of our cell? A lack of knowledge, excesses in our personal commitments and a depleted supply of resources.

Each bar coated with the glossy finish of Good Intentions.

Good intentions — meant to be of benefit — do not produce anything of value. Unless one has a beneficial use for justification, frustration and guilt.

A lack of knowledge becomes a cell bar due to situations that require much more time and effort than originally thought. Once engaged, we often feel compelled to continue out of some twisted sense of duty. Thus, actions initiated with the promise of being beneficial — end up producing laborious justification, frustration and guilt.
Excesses in personal commitments are like a cancerous tumor. All too often ignored until we encounter a debilitating growth of activity and busyness; consuming our days and paralyzing any sort of comfort or joy which may attempt to move in for our rescue. Meant to be of benefit — but in the end, producing justification, frustration and guilt.
Depleted resources result from the mercilessness of perfectionism. We are not equipped to do everything. Although we are blessed with all that we need (Psalm 29:11) we push ourselves beyond our supply. Our intention is to serve — but we end up with justification, frustration and guilt.