“Sabbath honors this quality of not knowing, an open receptivity of mind essential for allowing things to speak to us from where they are. If we take a day and rest, we cultivate Sabbath Mind. We let go of knowing what will happen next, and find the courage to wait for the teaching that has not yet emerged. The presumption of the Sabbath is that it is good, and that the wisdom, courage, and clarity we need are already embedded in creation. The solution is already alive in the problem. Our work is not always to push and strive and struggle. Sometimes we only have to be still, says the Psalmist, and we will know.”
From the conclusion of the chapter Beginner’s Mind in the book, “Sabbath – Finding Rest, Renewal, and Delight in Our Busy Lives” by Wayne Muller.

And so, I allow these words to speak to me. I remember last week how the days started to melt together. It seemed like Wednesday but it was only Tuesday! There was a spike of panic, the worry of memory loss but then I turned away from that worry. I realized my boundaries of time were getting rearranged by life and the pandemic. I was stepping outside of my comfort zone, forced to relinquish the ways I controlled time each day.  I am… no longer busy. There is no where to go but here. Yet, here is enough.

It is journey into the unknown. This time life is forcing me to pay attention to the deeper, silent, unseen rhythms and tides of time. The choice was made for me by the pandemic, but how I respond is up to me.

When we consecrate a time to listen to the still, small voice, we remember the root of inner wisdom that makes work fruitful. We remember from where we are most deeply nourished, and see more clearly the shape and texture of the people and things before us.

Note about Sabbath: Wayne Muller writes in his introduction, “While Sabbath can refer to a single day of the week, Sabbath can also be a far-reaching, revolutionary tool for cultivating those precious human qualities that grow only in time.”