“Life’s pretty quiet now. I wonder what’s next?

Lack of Motion

Life moves in waves. It is dynamic – not static. There are active times and quiet ones and lots of times in-between. The quiet times can be a respite – welcome rest and stillness. They can also be times where we just don’t feel the need to move. Quiet times can also indicate that we are stalled – not knowing where to go next. Or, they can be times when we are stuck  – either by our own intention or because we cannot see how we are to move.

We can use these quiet times to our advantage – to regroup, to take a break, to reorient ourselves before the next part of our journey. Key is being fully in the present moment, to recognize that we are in a quiet time of our journey and to maximize our use of it. They allow us restore ourselves, to think about where we are now and where we have been and to use our thinking to take positive next steps.

Quiet times can also have a not-so-great side. We could be stuck and not recognize we are. Sometimes, when we are stuck, we “fall asleep” to our life. We just go on and gradually  deteriorate and forget that we are on a journey that wants us in motion. Other times, we are stalled, not knowing where to go. These times ask us to examine where we are and whether we are meant to move or stay still.

Something Happens

During quiet times, we can experience unexpected events or “pushes” to get in action. Perhaps something changes significantly, putting us in a different place. The things that change can move us into a new situation that we have to evaluate or that demands we move from where we are. No more quiet times. We know change is on the horizon and must be dealt with. We are jolted “awake” and know we must act.

These events push us, but it is up to us – we can ignore them, stay stuck and stalled or resist what they are asking of us, keeping our head in the sand. Our journeys are ones of free choice and will. When something happens, say a loss of someone close to us, a change in our financial situation, an emotional or physical challenge our world becomes different and thinking it will stay the same is an illusion. Our life has moved on and we have to catch up.

Most of the time, these happenings are powerful Openings. It behooves us to recognize them and act accordingly. They shake us up and get our attention. They have a purpose – to give us the opportunity to move forward – sometimes radically. They can be a surprise and come out of the blue, startling us to get our attention. They are a calling.