Things will take the time they take. Lately, I’ve been feeling rushed. The desire to get this done to complete that and check one more box before bedtime. I don’t know about you but it isn’t even Halloween and I am already feeling the pressure to compete tasks and clear my slate for the holidays. I’m trying to cram all of those promised dinners, gatherings with friends, and milestones into the finished package of 2024. The silly thing is the end of the year is not a deadline. And while getting things done is important – hello taxes! It is the quality of our time spent, not the quantity of items we cram into it, that is important. The hour will pass whether we go to yoga or sit on the couch. We get to decide how that time is best spent for us. 

It’s exciting to feel like there is momentum and urgency to the task at hand. We usually clean our house best when company is on the way. We attend gatherings for holidays or dinners we don’t want to cancel reservations for and risk our OpenTable rankings. Outside pressure that can be addicting. It gets us moving, gets the job done, and makes us feel productive. All of this is ok, as the Greeks taught us, in moderation. 

If all we’re doing is rushing from one place to the next, attending events one after the other, or stressing out about things to come, we’re not fully present for the conversations that are happening right now. We are forever chasing a future that never arrives. Now, I am the fist one to support buying your Christmas or birthday gifts early so you don’t have to rush when the day comes. However, it is also important to savor where we are and take the time when we have it.

Here in the midwest we were recently blessed with a couple weeks of mid-seventies temperatures. This typically does not happen. For perspective, we attended our annual Diwali celebration with friends. Usually we wear winter coats, hats, and gloves as we light sparklers and small fireworks to celebrate the holiday. This year I wore a summer dress and a sweater – there was no need for anything warmer. It was like Christmas in Europe, sweatshirt weather. This gift of golden sunny days before winter is such a delight. We need the sun and the vitamin D it delivers. It is a joy to experience the lingering joys of the fall season a little longer. We get outside to savor the sound of leaves crunching underfoot, feel with wind in our hair, and sit outside a spell. 

The rush to get things done is still going to creep up. Especially with holidays and gatherings kicking into high gear before the end of the year. Still we get to savor this time and I am doing my best to meditate daily and get grounded. I don’t want life to happen to me or around me, I want to be here in it. I’m grateful I get the opportunity to do so much and be a part of so many things. Instead of turning these moments into a list of obligations, my goal is be present in each day. To look around and take it in, rather than rushing from one thing to the next. 

Do you rush this time of year? How do you settle into the season? What steps do you take to stay grounded? 

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