Let The Great World Spin: Sometimes No Challenge is the Best Challenge
Truth and Cake
Posted on September 7, 2012
This will probably be the only time I publish a post without a photo; I’m such a visual person that the notion is strange. But words can (and in most cases, do) stand on their own. I survived my photo-free long weekend. I thought I would feel anxious and adrift, some of my friends even joked about withdrawal kicking in. But, surprisingly, I was fine. Leaving my camera at home meant giving myself permission to gaze at dry desert hills and vast lakes and stand in awe under a bright blue moon without the usual impulse to take all of it with me. My trip was moment to moment, laugh to laugh, one wine glass to the next (and the next). It was wonderful.
I take a class called Restorative Yoga: it’s a lot of stretching and massaging and opening up stiff, sore muscles. We don’t do any crazy, challenging poses in the class. What we do, really, is focus on letting go. The other day, while we were lying in shavasana (corpse pose) my instructor said something that stuck with me:
“In other classes, we give you challenges so that you can beat them and feel better about yourself. Right now, there is no challenge. Sometimes we have to take all of the challenges away to realize that without challenge, life is still life.”
Sometimes we have to take all of the challenges away.
What’s going on in your life right now? Do you have a lot of tough stuff ahead of you? Self-imposed or work-imposed goals?
I’m currently training for a Fourteen Kilometer Super Spartan Obstacle Race. It’s intense and exhilarating and I’m often left tired and nursing shin splints at the end of the day. I’m pushing myself to run harder and longer than I’ve ever run before, to do more burpees and pull-ups and squats than I thought possible. It feels wonderful and horrible at the same time. I am growing stronger and more resilient, which is such a good thing. But it’s easy to get wrapped up in our goals, to allow them to define us.
Amidst all of that huffing and puffing (and swearing), I’m trying to make room for the calm, blank space, to keep in mind that without challenge, life is still life.
That’s what the photo-free long weekend was all about: letting go of the need to define my experiences through a series of perfect images. That’s why I changed my blogging schedule to once a week for the month of August: I was craving heat and restoration. Summer was a time to wipe the slate clean, to lie in the sun and just be.
And now, Labor day has passed, school is back in session, the evenings are getting cooler. And I’m beginning to feel the urge to scribble and scrawl on my slate, to get back to the nitty-gritty of work. But I’m hoping to take a bit of that feeling with me, to remember that there are fallow periods, times where rest and happiness are more important than being the most productive or the fastest.
Whatever your goals may be, if you fall short or have a bad day, the great world will keep on spinning. Let it. Don’t be afraid, now and then, to tune out all of the noise and just stand there, perfectly still.
Tagged: Creativity, Finding Balance, fitness, life, Stress Reduction, Taking a Time Out, Well Being, Yoga
Wonderful, Rian. Good for you for taking a moment of reflection and really absorbing your life’s rich experiences. :) I need to look into restorative yoga…
It’s a wonderful class, especially if you’re active or often have sore muscles. Or, you know, are just stressed, like 99% of us. I hope you find one in your area!
A great reminder! Thanks :) I have been working on a similar post about why the absence of suffering is so unnerving. It shouldn’t be, right? We just get so wrapped up in our challenges and struggles that when they stop for a while it makes us feel unstable. It is helpful to remember that even if we aren’t accomplishing anything or working through something, life is still life. I’m working on it…
Also, have you read the book ‘Let the Great World Spin’? I’ve heard that it is excellent! I haven’t read it yet, but it’s in my (ever growing) pile of books to read next. Have a great weekend, Rian!!
I can’t wait to read that post, Tobi! It’s so true (and strange) that we often thrive on the idea that something is broken and we have to fix it. I’m sure you’ll have a lot of interesting insights. The book is on my bookshelf (and obviously in my sub-conscious since the title made it into this post). I look forward to reading it! Enjoy your weekend, Tobi. xx
Have you read Colum McCann’s book of the same title: Let the Great World Spin? It’s pretty darn good. :)
It’s on my bookshelf and I look forward to reading it. Glad to hear it’s recommended by Emily J!
I like that you took a break from photographing everything — I sometimes take a break from taking notes about everything I attend (I am a reporter and freelance writer) and just enjoy the event–if you are forever taking notes for a story and pics you sometimes miss the experience of being there–not all the time–but sometimes it is nice to take a break
I’m glad to hear that even professionals need a break from documentation :) You’re right though, sometimes there’s a bigger story that we miss my constantly zeroing in on all of the details. Have a great weekend!
you too – enjoy your blog btw
What a great thought. I agree with you…sometimes the best moments are those that are thoroughly lived. My dad always gets mad at me for not taking enough pictures (he lives in another province and doesn’t get to see his granddaughter as often as he’d like) but I always tell him that I’m too busy LIVING life to photograph it.
Although in all honesty, that’s mostly just what I say when what I really want to say it, “I forgot, and I suck at taking pictures.”
But I mean the other stuff, too!
I think it’s fantastic that you’re so engrossed in living your life that you forget to take pictures. I would love to feel that way. Photographs are important, to be sure. And I think there’s a necessary balance, especially when children are involved. But I’m sure your daughter is grateful for your time and attention, and that’s what really matters! Take care xx
What a timely post! I tend to stuff my brain with new goals come September, sometimes until exhaustion. I would only add one thing: it’s also important to find time just to be silly and laugh stupidly. Almost as efficient as yoga for me :-)
Yes, laughing stupidly, high on the priority list! Maybe you should write a post about that, Cécile :)
On its way :-)
Rian, a well written and eloquently expressed post…echoing my thoughts right now as I strive for simplicity..thank you and may you hold that feeling within x
Good luck on your quest for simplicity, Jane. I wish you the same xx
I’m a person who needs challenges in their life. I’m also the sort of person who likes having “good stress” but tears herself into shreds when “bad stress” comes along: good stress leads into the bad kind without due care and yes, if you don’t switch off now and then.
Thanks for the last line of this post – when I get all focussed on the one goal and I encounter a bad day or setback it seems like the end of the world. Of course it isn’t.
Ah, I can so relate, Claire. You would think all of that practice would help us deal with the bad stuff, right? Take care & have a great weekend!
Loved reading this. It’s hard to remember that sometimes just existing is enough, and that it’s okay to take a break from pushing yourself to meet self-imposed expectations. I’m so happy you did that for yourself and then shared it here.
I love the word fallow. Nature uses it well. Everything has to rest to recycle and renew, but I guess HOW we rest is important too? You reduced this to it’s simplest terms, nice. Very nice.
I also love that word, Marsella. It’s beautiful and it cuts both ways: negative and positive. It’s all about how you choose to see it. Have a great week & best of luck with your new job!
Thank you so much! I needed that right now because I have been spinning around in a torrent of deadlines and its just not worth it!
Reblogged this on GuenBt. and commented:
Motivation.
I am on my 3-day mini vacation in the US on the way to a week of work in Ireland and another in Australia. Two mornings ago, I was sitting by a pool doing nothing. I wasn’t reading, I wasn’t swimming, I wasn’t even talking to my friend who was sitting right next to me on the lounger. I tried to recall the last time I had done nothing and came up blank. It sounds like it has been a week for reflecting on just being. Am thoroughly enjoying my mini-holiday and very pleased I brought the camera because of the beautiful sunset at Clear Lake, although I wished I had also brought the big lens!
Sometimes doing absolutely nothing really is the best medicine. But why do we find it so difficult? I know I do–we want to fill up every moment, right? I hope you enjoy your vacation–it sounds wonderful. I’ll check back for photos!
So well said, and it’s so easy to get caught up in the habits alone, without stopping to remember why we even started. As much as I love having my camera with me, there are times it is freeing to forget it and leave it at home. I just love the nurturing spirit behind what your yoga teacher said…what an important message to hear, and share with us! Thank you…here’s hoping for a restorative weekend. Ps..your race sounds like a blast! :)
I’m glad you can relate, Bonnie! Ha, and I’m glad to know that you’re so upbeat about my race–I need all of the moral support I can get ;) Hope your week is going well!
A beautifully written post and such a good reminder for all of us. I read recently about slow blogging and am giving myself permission to write fewer posts for the next while. It’s important for all of us to find stillness in our days.
Hi Sally, thanks for stopping by! I fully support the idea of slow blogging. Personally, I’d rather read something that took a bit of thought and care over something punched out in an hour. But it really depends on the kind of blog you write and WHY you write. Some people need an outlet and want to share their ideas regularly, others want to publish really well-edited pieces. I definitely think there’s room for both types. Good luck with your slow blogging endeavor! We all deserve a break now and then :)
Maybe moving out of the US, to Canada, helps one to reach the realization that personal goals are sufficient for satisfaction, and contentment is not a dirty word. Of course, I am still a citizen of the US, so perhaps it has been my exposure to Europe and Central America for me to see life that way. I have my goals, ‘modest’ goals I have labeled them. Knowing myself and what I like, value, desire, etc., I calibrated those goals, some of which are tools to achieve subsequent goals, so that I can look at what I want to get out of life and realistically conclude that I will end up where I want to be.
I found it perplexing on one hand, and utterly infuriating on the other, when someone who has known my name for but a few weeks decided that I am limiting myself, doing myself a disservice, and not realizing my full potential when I described some of my aspirations. When this person later concurred, in reference to a later segment of this discussion, that “Yes! I am putting my values on him,” I was shocked to observe this level pompousness, self-righteousness, and a completely uncomprehensive disposition this person had for the dreams of another, to belittle them by dismissing them as inadequate.
To anyone who happens to read this, ask for advice from people who know you, and beware of those asserting it without prompt or merit. Find yourself and harness your energy toward what makes you feel complete, no matter what that might be. (Irony, yes? Yeah, you should even beware of me and the advice i just bestowed)
What a nice blog and a good reminder for all of us to slow down for a little while and just be. I just wrote about a similar topic in my latest blog titled “Just A Closer Walk With Thee”. Though the title is from an old hymn, the blog is about taking a walk this past Labor Day instead of arranging my day to a set schedule. We all need those reminders in our life to slow it down, drink it in, and let the world keep on spinning without us for awhile. Thanks for posting this. It was lovely to read. I didn’t miss not having your beautiful photos (though I enjoy those too). Your words said it all.
‘Even without the challenges, life is still life.’ I love that. I love the feel of this post. That sense of being a calm pool of water even in the face of a storm … I think? Yes, I like that image. I think I’m going to try and keep this feeling with me for longer. Nice job. :
-Sharmistha
a really wonderful post. I love how in tune you are with yourself.
Welcome back! This was fun to read!
While I have had those quiet moments in life, for me, it took a stroke to be able to say, “I am not doing anything today at all.” Almost dying (well, dying) helped me to understand that I am here and that is enough for me. Yes, I have goals and yes, I try to work myself hard while enjoying life. But, truth is, it’s just nice to be around.
Scott
Hi Scott, I knew you’d have something wise to contribute. It is just nice to “be around,” isn’t it?–most of us who have never suffered a major illness take that for granted. Thanks for the reminder!
Photo free weekend. Wow. I can’t imagine the thought. :)
Well said. I’m starting a new yoga class tonight, and am looking forward to resting in shavasana!
Boy, was this every a timely post! I don’t work in the summer, but now I am back on the hamster wheel, spinning so many work projects and family life, that is is a good reminder about just stopping for a bit and being! Thanks!
Funny how quickly we lapse into old habits once life kicks into high gear, exactly when we could really use a bit of that stillness! Good luck with all of your projects–I hope you find a moment or two for yourself.
I just ran my first race in two years on Sunday. It was a blast! I was happy, challenged, emotional, and re-visited by knee pain to remind me to take better care of my body. Restorative yoga is on my list, and I intend to start going to those classes a couple times per week to help release muscle tightness, as well as mental tightness. This year, due to a series of events, has motivated me to re-evaluate my life, and to start making changes – choosing those things that are best for me and and starting to set goals. I have to admit, I’f been floating through life, day to day, without goals for years. I’ve even gone so far as to hire a coach/mentor to help keep me on track, encouraging me to do the homework that I know I want to do when that twinge of fear creeps in and I tent to hold myself back from answering the critical questions. These changes I’ve made to hold myself accountable to myself, such as my blog for running. I love writing, and it motivates me to get out and run so I can tell the reader about the experience. Or simply record it for my own remembrance.
Thank you for sharing your experiences! And for the reminder that letting go, and simply living in the present moment is important to living life, as well as moving through our greatest challenges.
Reblogged this on My 2 cents and commented:
Don’t define yourself and your life by the challenges you face. When you take away all the struggles and trials there is still you underneath it all. You are still a person with a life beyond your circumstances. Too often I think people hold on to their issues and problems, not wanting to let them go for fear it will leave their life empty. Perhaps we need to take a step back and realize we don’t have to always have a problem or a challenge in order to just be a person. Be free to just be yourself and not hold so hard to your identity as a life with struggles.