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To Be Or Not To Be

Scott McPhersonLeave a comment

1328 Relax and Succeed - Peace is Productive

It’s a long weekend in Canada and thanks to some friends help, the next few days will be first few in close to a decade that I am not juggling my work life with caring for my parents. I’ll miss them, even though that’s nearing 3,500 days with no days off. (They’re great and I really love them.)

Because I have this rare opportunity, I’m also going to leave the facebook page dormant during this time. I suspect you’ll find that acceptable. Maybe even advisable. I just want to sit and not move or be responsible for anything. I might sleep the entire thing.

I think many of you who have been caregivers have a full appreciation of why I would write this, and as the people who read this blog know, we must defend our lives when necessary. While I find difficult circumstances pretty okay, but we do all reach energy limits and I’m at the far, far limit of those.

I hope you’ll forgive me for taking a few days off facebook and for offering only this missive today, but the blog and old facebook timeline and photo section is always there, and as the reader changes so does the content. Plus, once I get a chance to just sit here and do nothing for a few days, I will be refreshed and I’m sure that rewards will spill from that. Peace is productive.

I really do look forward to being back. Have an awesome Canada Day weekend everyone!

peace, s

MoK: Tender Mercies

Scott McPhersonLeave a comment

Dear Readers,

May this find you well. I have a strange entry for today’s March of Kindness assignment. Today we will unexpectedly focus on kindness toward ourselves. Valuing ourselves is a form of self-respect and it is distinct from the unhealthy selfishness that causes us to feel guilty, or that requires us to distract ourselves from facing our relevant responsibilities.

For the first time in the many years that I’ve have blogged here and elsewhere, I simply cannot create the time or the very specific meditative headspace I require to write the sort of blog post I feel you all deserve. The needs of my family and friends have been tremendous over the last many weeks and there comes a time when we must face that if we have almost no time to even sleep or eat, then those things must take priority lest we risk the health of the body our consciousness resides in.

This being the case, let’s alter today’s planned March of Kindness post into this: find the area of your life where you personally are overwhelmed and surrender. If the only overwhelming thing you truly have in your life is your own anxious thoughts, then slow those down and open your awareness and then reach out to someone who is truly overwhelmed. Either way, the world is made better.

Kindness toward yourself or kindness toward another, it’s all kindness and it’s worthwhile. I’d like to thank you for your kindness in understanding my situation, and I wish you every good-fortune with your own self-kindness today.

Regards, s

Scott McPherson is an Edmonton-based writer, public speaker, and mindfulness facilitator who works with individuals, companies and non-profit organisations locally and around the world.