Sep 13, 2008
We live in a instant gratification society. We expect everything fast and then faster! If our computers don’t load in tenths of a second we say it’s slow, we can’t wait for a picture to be developed, or good food to be made. The idea of unplugging from the cyber-super-fast world is scary.
I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday, I was expecting all sorts of “results” and I received none. I was told that I have to wait now until next week. That’s frustrating. My first reaction was to be angry and start to question and blame. Then I realized that we as a human race could benefit a little from learning the art of waiting. There is a skill in be able to wait. In my case I want to know now, but in other cases we want to get results because we are excited.
Here is the challenge today, take some time to sit in silence and do nothing. See how long you can wait there without moving. Be still. Try and do it for 30 minutes. Then write what you felt, thought about and experienced in your journal. Also, please share you thoughts here on the STUpendous BLOG!
I can WAIT to read your response!
Posted by Stu Saunders in Leadership on Sep 13, 2008 at 3:11 am | Permanent Link | Comments (4)
Comment posted on Sep 13, 2008 at 3:48 am by Angela Cacciavillani (YLCC Guest)
I lasted three and half minutes.
I am not sure if it is because I am sitting in a library, away from what is common or if I am an instant gratification kind of girl.
I like having the answers.
I have never been patient and I am less patient with things that matter to the heart. It is harder to be patient when you are not sure what you are to be patient for. When you do not know the answer it is a lot harder to sit still.
I am able to sit and to think and to be when my heart is settled
I will soon find the calm amongst the chaos and when I do I will try this exercise again. Maybe next time, not in a library but in the familiar so I may have better results for you.
Comment posted on Sep 14, 2008 at 3:49 am by Elizabeth (YLCC Guest)
so i did the ultimate waiting challenge. i had to wait at union station last night for a friend to pick me up so i went to the middle of the station and stood perfectly still. in the 2 minutes 12 seconds i was able to (didn;t move by choice) i must have been pushed 8 times. apparenly the art of ‘excuse me’ or walking around people is lost. i thought it was rather interesting
Comment posted on Sep 17, 2008 at 5:45 pm by jessome (YLCC Member)
I love the Silence, Stillness and solitude exercise, I really do.
I often use it during the school year when things seem to become out of control- it’s a beautfiul, peaceful way to slow everything down and regain lost perspective. I’ve been very lucky lately, as I haven’t really felt the need to slow everythign down and chill… Life since camp has been brilliantly adventurous and peaceful. I’m not sure how I came to be in this state of mind; I’m as busy as ever, joining new teams, adding new workouts to my habits, meeting new people, taking on more work, but something is different.
I read this blog last week, and meant to comment, but never got back to it. Then it hit me this weekend: I moved back into my university house and started classes without a hitch. I spent the better part of my first weekend at school trying out for my school’s First Response team, and once that was done, I headed to out of town for a few days to do some visiting in Hamilton. I planned to leave tuesday afternoon and return to my campus by 5pm for class, and voila, a very successful weekend where I’d get alot done without missing any classes… i’ve committed myself to reducing the amount of classes I miss this year. I was cruising along, making great time, listening to an audiobook to get some course readings out of the way.... it was perfectly planned, when BOOM, it happened....
I had to slam on my brakes as hard as I could, and suddenly 130km/hour became 10kn/hour. Yep, I was on the 401 at 3:30 in the afternoon near Yorkdale.... suddenly class was a no go. For the next two hours I sat in stop and go traffic, and became frustrated beyond belief. While I’d been enjoying the benefits of stress-free living, everything around me began spinning out of control and my mood plummeted into anger. So I reached over, turned off the audiobook, rolled up my windows, and sat as still as possible in traffic. Yes, I was still driving, but I was alone, and in silence, and everything began to close off around me. I began thinking about whatever my mind wanted to think about. I did this for 30 minutes.
- I thought about my thought process leading up to the decision to begin the exercise in my car, which is why I’ve mentioned it up above.
- I thought about my journal… I’ve taken a necessary hiatus from it recently, and have proudly restarted reflecting in my own ways, and re-entered the world of my journal.
- I thought alot about why the guy in the blue SUV felt the need to tailgate me once traffic got started again… can’t he just accept he’s going to be late?
- I thought about my despisal of city life as a whole. I think I’m too hard on “cities” in general, but I can’t stand the “go go go” attitude of superiority.
- I thought about a conversation I had with a person very dear to me about stress. They said they don’t understand how I can be so calm… if only they knew that I used to be the kid who worried about everything… I wonder why that’s changed?
- I thought about the fact that in 7 months I will be a university graduate… What a journey it’s been… it’s had its ups and downs, but I think I’m most proud of the fact that I’ve tackled my university career the way I wanted to, and have reaped the benefits of countless deposits that I don’t think many around me understand.
- I thought about the life that lay ahead of me..... which is still wide open. i have alot to decide on in the near future, but i’m excited at the thought of my journey encountering several forks in the road.
- Lastly, as my half hour expired, I thought about what has set this year apart from all of the others… the answer was complex, yet very simple. Alot of different adventures have lead me to my current position, and a large part of those adventures were because of my Spring and Summer at YLCC. I laughed with some familiar friends and discovered new things with some new faces. I have been challenged to look at my life with a fresh perspective, which has made all the difference.
By the time my 30 minutes was up, I found myself in traffic that was moving along nicely. I landed back home a half hour late for class… I was alive, safe, happy, felt loved and had a smile on my face… apparently life had settled down again, and a missed seminar just didn’t seem to be the end of the world:)
Great Question Stu.
See you soon.
Jessome
Comment posted on Sep 24, 2008 at 6:13 am by beth hardy (YLCC Guest)
I read this blog the other day and thought - that sounds really hard and put it in the back of my mind. Then last night i was reading “Eat, Pray, Love” and it talked about the same kinda thing! Its called a Vipassana meditation and you sit still and dont move and listen to your inner thoughts. Like me, the girl in the book could not even fathom the thought, but she tried it - in Indian, in the evening - and was getting bitten by misquitos! but she didnt move. She said “If i can sit through this nonlethal physical discomfort, then what other discomforts might I someday be able to sit through?” and she listed things like jealousy, anger, fear, disappointment, loneliness.
No I still haven’t tried it… I am waiting for a third sign.
-Beth