Day 70: Stepping Away from Commitments
After staying and joy riding around Lake Oconee, I’m back here again after one week of not blogging and staying at another Georgia WMA for a few days and along the Savannah River in Augusta some other days.
The reason I took a break from blogging is because it wasn’t fun anymore. I’m writing this now and it’s fun. So taking breaks is important because breaks create space to make important things fun again. They also create space for rest and gratitude, perhaps the most important things.
Even when you make a commitment like I did to write one post every day, you can break from that commitment for as long as you need to. You can also break from more “serious” commitments, pledges, and promises. The world tells you they are serious things but they are not. They might be important but they are not serious.
There’s simply no room for such seriousness in life. Seriousness is cancer to joy and an open heart. If anything is unacceptable to me, it’s this seriousness. Do things with love, do one thing at a time, and avoid seriousness at all costs. When it feels serious, dreadful, depressing, or frustrating, step away.
Stepping away from important things feels weird and uncomfortable for the first few days. During these days, your mind will pass by strange, beautiful doors. You’ll hesitate to open them at first. You’ll want to open more common doors with signs that say Persevere, Keep Going, and Don’t Give Up.
These are trap doors. Walk by them. There will be many. I used to have a quote by Teddy Roosevelt engraved on ceramic that said “If you’re going thru hell, keep going.” It was positioned on my dresser and I saw it every day. That thing is buried in storage now. I might smash it when I find it, like burning a picture of an old romance.
So keep walking until you see another strange, beautiful door. Then walk through it. In your mind, this door will feel like an opportunity to achieve space and leave worries behind. Go through it. Behind this door is the rest you need.
You can return to your commitment, pledge, or promise when you’re ready. Don’t rush it. It could take days, weeks, or months. Any length of time is just fine. It will all depend on what you’re stepping away from to create space for truth. The people who matter will support you.
