Thursday, January 29

Should You Be Reading This?

"Should I be reading this?"
Lately I have been asking myself that question. Not that I'm reading BAD stuff, but rather that I am side-tracked by all the options I have to feed my mind.

I love blogs, emails, facebook, the whole internet(!), books, ipods, magazines...so much information, so little time.

This statistic blew my mind: "In 2003 alone, enough new information was generated to fill a stack of books 30 feet tall for EACH of the more than six billion people on earth." (Peter Lyman, "How much information,2003")

How do I decide what to read and what to walk away from?

I have had to return to the basics as all this technology has crept into my life. When my kids were really little, I packed a basket of books and my Bible and moved from room to room for my quiet time. The season of the year often dictated where I would perch.
Later I planted myself in a cozy corner in my walk-in closet to read, pray and THINK.
When my daughter left for college, I moved a comfortable chair into her bedroom and sat up 'shop' there.

My intent was always to find a personal sanctuary of sorts.

I am now back in my cozy closet. It's my place of solitude off away from all the other demands of my day. It is where I feed my mind and allow myself to THINK without distraction.

Did you know that Bill Gates has a modest cottage in a secret location where he goes for "Think Weeks"?

This has been one of my most powerful 'tools' in finding out who I am as a woman...to have a place for rejuvenation and a place that nourishes my soul.

The key was to find a place that took me away from all the worldly connections. A place where the computer, cell phones, ipods and the like are not allowed. It is a place that allows me to think and get in touch with who I really am.

It's been a process for me. Finding a place to sit my bum was not the goal...it was the beginning of meeting ME!

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