Introduction
"Learning to live with the mess of life is great spiritual work." ~ Jo Hilder
"Thank God it's Friday!"
This familiar four-word refrain is understood across cultures. For those balancing the responsibilities of work, school, family, second jobs, and side-gigs, the anticipation of Friday carries the weight of the entire work week.
Commitment to our work is imperative, however, we must also make self-care a priority. If the mind is not well, we are without clarity. If the body is sick, our daily functioning is limited, and if we are weak spiritually, we are unable to receive guidance.
Attempts at living within imbalance carries steep consequences over the long term.
When attention is not paid to mini glitches in the matrix of life the rope seen as a lifeline gets thin, frays and eventually breaks. This can lead to incapacity and the ability to operate at maximum capacity for giving in our service to humanity through our work becomes distorted.
My grandmother is the most resilient woman I have ever known and her wisdom and determination empower my days and nights yet still.
From a young girl growing up in the segregated South during the Great Depression, she farmed, did laundry, cooked, baked, kept houses, tended children and made everything from butter and soap to corn liquor. She never slowed down and an attack on her brain was the ultimate result. The reward for a young life committed to hard work in hard times were three strokes that left her paralyzed on her left side and unable to speak. When she woke up in the hospital she saw her husband and their three young children staring down at her and all were terrified.
"That's when I knew," she'd said, "I knew that whatever it took, I had to get out of that bed. My family needed me. I was barely alive, but I had to live for them."
"Each person deserves a day away in which no problems are confronted, no solutions are searched for. Each of us needs to withdraw from the cares which will not withdraw from us."
~ Dr. Maya Angelou
Balance is a necessity and we must seek it in every aspect of our lives. When it is not a priority, we decrease our opportunities to experience joy in our work, home, and family life.
Most times, we do not hate our jobs or our lives, we have just allowed the frustration that goes along with depletion of resources to dominate our experience. When this occurs, our peace is disturbed and resentments set in. Our resources are our minds, our bodies, and our spirits and we must preserve and protect them.
At the time, my grandmother knew she had to recover, to overcome this episode that had flattened her and threatened the livelihood of her family and the future of her children. It was in that moment she decided to fight and became determined that she could. And with the help of Almighty God, she would recover.
She also knew how the industrious drive in her nature had kept her so focused on her responsibilities that she neglected her own personal well-being and until the Universe sent her an unmistakable message she would have continued upon the path she later warned me to take care upon.
When it came my turn to join the rat race of life knowing the journey ahead, she gave me the benefit of her wisdom. "Do your work, but remember that rest is important."
"You have the power to heal your life, and you need to know that. Claim and consciously use your power." ~ Louise L. Hay
Recovery is defined as the act, process, or an instance of recovering. It is the process of combating a disorder or a real or perceived problem. It is a recapture, a reclamation, a recoupment, a repossession, or retrieval.
Recovery is an act of rescue, the act or process of returning to a normal state after a period of difficulty. It is a redemption.
The Unfolding with Joy Series are short reads offered in love as a supportive reminder of the importance of taking pause to note the checks and balances in our lives.
Most of us live in such a harried unbalanced way that when we reach the breaking point, we have no awareness of how or where to begin to rebuild our lives from the inside and purpose toward getting back in the game of life in a healthier way.
"Recover Yourself!" is the first of the three. As the opening text, it examines what occurs when we come to the end of our rope and we are confronted with the lifestyle choices that resulted in our arrival at a critical mass crossroads.
Driving hard and fast toward set goals must be supported by a healthy mind, body, and spirit. You have a right to personal achievement. You have a right to overall personal well-being. You have a right to feel good along the journey. Use what you find here to shift your focus and unfold into that space of returning to peace, clarity, and joy ever increasing.
Seek balance moving forward and handle your state of being with care.
Recover yourself!
