Recently, we offered you a quote in our post, “Living the Questions“, from Rainer Maria Rilke about loving and living the questions.
Many of you asked us to share some examples in our own lives. Last week, Linda shared what “living the questions” looks like in her life. Today, Heather will talk about what it means to her and Stephanie will share her thoughts next week.
Living the questions has often been hard for me but, as each year passes, I’m learning to love the spaciousness of it.
To me, “living the questions” is about being mindful. It means slowing down, taking a deep breath, and being still. WHAT?!?
Questions flood my mind: How can I be productive? How can I get all the things done that need to be done? What’s my value if I’m not constantly getting things done?
I’ve lived much of my life feeling that “success” means I’ve gotten all the things done. All. The. Things. Think checklists!
What I’ve learned by slowing down is that I’m more able to embrace curiosity and enjoy the doing and thinking about things, versus only the final accomplishment.
When I pause and live the questions,
I’m more relaxed and mindful of the moment.
Often times, it feels like a gift.
To increase my mindfulness, I ask myself:
- What’s needed from me physically?
- What’s needed from me mentally?
- What’s needed from me spiritually?
Being mindful can be as simple as noticing my niece’s innocent giggle, my parents holding hands, a friend needing a hug, or the song of the hummingbirds outside of my window. These are things I miss when I’m focused on figuring out the answers.
I’ve learned that life is not always a puzzle to be solved, but a beautiful patchwork of sad, funny, and touching moments. That’s what I miss when I’m too focused on answering those pesky questions!
I likely won’t become a person who sits and ponders for hours on end but, more and more, I find it very grounding to work mindfulness into my days.
In more recent years, my mantra has become:
Be still.
Breathe.
Enjoy the moment.
(My to-do list will still be there tomorrow.)
We’re curious what “living the questions” looks like in your life. Let us know!
How can we support you?
If you’d like support in sitting with the questions, contact us today.