Thursday, March 08, 2012

Be In Your Life
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Warm enough to eat lunch outside today!
Dag Hammarskjold Plaza, East Midtown
 
An article on the Sojourners blog today reflects on a recent talk that Eugene Peterson gave at the Q Practices gathering in New York.  Impressed by Peterson's "deeply chill vibe," the article's author attributes his demeanor and relaxed presence to his family's lifestyle choices:
"The Petersons have cultivated, with great intention, a simple life. 
They live in a place that is natural, beautiful, majestic. They eat locally, cook their own food, and regularly ask friends to join them for meals where conversations linger for hours. They read good books by writers and poets whom they find inspiring. They keep their life (and their calendar) uncluttered. 
They pray. They keep a Sabbath. They walk in the woods and they listen. To the rustle of the leaves, the cry of a hawk, the wind and the still small voice of God. To the silence."
That life?  That uncluttered, lingering, mindful life?  Sounds pretty flippin' wonderful.

The article continues with Peterson's thoughts on struggling against his competitive nature - fighting that impulse to always be doing more, creating more, achieving more.  How he had to learn, instead, to do nothing.  To create space in simplicity. To wait.  Peterson says -
“By doing ‘nothing,’ I think I was slowly being cured...It took a while. But by refusing to do anything…I learned to live a life that was contemplative, not competitive.”
Oh, how I need to learn that as well.

2 comments:

Sonja said...

I loved this email, too! I'm really struggling to figure out how I can fit more of this into my life instead of always struggling to DO.

Rosanne said...

I SO WANT to create.... space... in... simplicity! Let's do it Kristy! Big luv your blog and photos!
xo