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Horizons Magazine
SEPTEMBER 2001
Getting Stuck in the Overgrowth of Life
Hello and welcome to the September 2001 issue of Horizons Magazine.
Hurricane season is upon us again and I always welcome the almost-daily
afternoon summer storms we have this time of year. After the wind and rain,
everything seems so fresh and renewed, and my wooded yard becomes like
a jungle. Just like in the jungle, sometimes I get stuck in the tangled undergrowth
of my own life and if I don't watch it, I can feel weighed down by responsibility and obligation. I'm always volunteering for something, and am on a few boards and committees; happy to serve in projects I believe in and want to support. Suddenly, though, I find I'm left without time to myself and realize I haven't taken a break or vacation in months. When this happens, the wisest thing I can do is reclaim my time, and drop out of committees until I've spent time renewing and refresing myself. Without that, I'm no good to me or anyone. After a short break, and maybe an adventure or two out of town in a new place, I find myself ready to go another few rounds and take it all on again.
Steve Covey, author of 7 Habits of Highly Successful People, says, "We're often so busy cutting through the undergrowth, we don't realize we're in the wrong jungle." Lloyd Thomas says "learning to manage your life differently without changing your core values, is like rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic." Both of these phrases really hit home with me and, if I'm not mistaken, I've seen a few of you on the deck of the Titanic with me, moving those chairs around. When you've got a busy life, it often seems like all you're doing is damage control, rather than making leisure time to reflect and integrate what's going on. To make sure you're in the right jungle.
The paradox of it all is that, when I'm the busiest and feel the most overwhelmed with my life and my work and my obligations, that's the time I need to take off; that's the time to take a break and get outa Dodge. I've learned that when I physically remove myself from my normal environment, only then am I able to see clearly and objectively how productive I'd been. I need to remove myself from a situation before I can see it clearly. I need to make time to get somewhere that I can be quiet, preferably alone, without interruption, preferably without sound, for a long enough time that my thoughts quiet down. Only when my thoughts quiet down am I able to objectively reflect on my life and consider making any changes. The easy part for me is deciding to take the break. The hard part for me is recognizing when I'm stressed and need to take that break.