Watch yourself

Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind.

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow -

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I reserved today for myself. I ate a simple breakfast, listened to some music and read a few chapters of a book I'm currently absorbed in, then around lunch time I ate lunch as one often does.

Later I set aside my current book and selected one of my favourites from my library called, The Complete Poetical Works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and randomly read passages some familiar and others less so, but I found a certain comfort there...and through ignoring virtually everything and everyone else on the planet. It was time I needed to find.

Later, I found myself thinking about my day and how deliciously decadently I'd spent it.

I'd ignored almost everything else figuring it would be there later on and if not I didn't really care. I let my phone ring unanswered, left messages unchecked and put effort into nothing other than being me for a moment. Unproductive? No.

My life can be demanding; it's stressful; yours may be too. We're often time-poor but I believe one of the most important things we can do with time is find the time to stop.

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Sit still and in silence.

Quieten the mind.

Switch off.

Retreat inside...look inside...watch yourself.

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There's a lot to be found there; I mean peace, solace, comfort and usually the ability to re-energise the mind, body and soul.

I believe it's important to detach from daily life, find a gap in which to slot oneself where life-things can't reach, even for just a short time.

Ideally, it would happen daily but that's not always possible however first thing in the morning is a good time to find a moment to watch yourself, to see clearly and free from the layers of life, feel grateful for what you have and to focus on your plan to live your best day, that day. Fortunately I get the opportunity to have days like today and whilst I don't always spend it in the way I did today, reading Longfellow, I always find value in stilling my mind.

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I'm pretty sure that if you had the ability to step outside of yourself and watch yourself you'd find aspects that could be improved upon; I know I would in myself, and *that's exactly what days like today are all about. Resting the mind, body and soul is important and I've usually found that through detaching, sitting still, clearing the mind of the daily grind, and doing a little self-reflection one sees ways to improve more clearly. How about you?

If you've got any thoughts on this topic feel free to comment below.