Monday, July 9, 2018

Family Thoughts on Thinking

When my niece was 3 or 4 years old she was sitting quietly in the backseat of the car Dad was driving and he asked her “What are you doing?”  She answered “I am thinking.  It’s very nice.  You should try it some time.”
 
When Dad asked his Mom a complicated sort of question she would say “I don’t want to burden my brain with that.”
 
Mom’s teacher would tell her students “If you can add, you can think.”
 
When life or work got too hectic or I had too much on my mind I would say “I wish I could take my head off to rest it for a while.”
 
Mom will sometimes sit in a dark room and when I ask her what she is doing she will say “Thinking.”
 
Thinking is a blessing and a curse, as Mr. Monk would say.  Sometimes our brains can get overrun with our thoughts which can be exhausting.  The trick to staying calm is to take a timeout which can be done in various ways.  Getting away from your desk or whatever you are doing and taking a quiet little walk is one way.  Just going into another part of the house or office where you can be alone for a few minutes can also do it.  Once alone just breathe.
 
The trouble with today is that we have become multitaskers; we don’t feel we are effective if we aren’t doing more than one task at a time.  We are also in love with speed.  Both these beliefs are think killers.  We go into autopilot and actually don’t even think.
 
Start the day on a quiet note and try not to get distracted by another task while doing the first one.  Remember that your sanity is important!
 
“Learn to get in touch with the silence within yourself and know that everything in this life has a purpose.”  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross










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