dailydatewithgod

There are times when our internal conversation is all about getting through an experience.  They are often defined as the in-between times we find ourselves in.   Those moments when our perspective is slated to the idea that where we are and what we are doing is not what we would choose. It could be sitting in traffic, being on hold with a call center, waiting for some information before we can make our next move, or standing in line at the grocery store. I read a statistic once that said we spend 3 years of our lives waiting in line.  I believe that was before Amazon, so maybe now it is only 2.5 years. 🙂 Often in these in-between moments, we are bracing ourselves in preparation for what might come next or how much longer something is going to take, or fear we are missing out on something else.  The bracing is instinctively based on a threat.  But the threats we have today are rarely life-altering. Have you ever stopped to wonder if in today’s world those moments in between when we are bracing could simply be a chance to catch our breath?  Maybe the purpose they serve is more than a chance to get stressed out mentally and physically.  Maybe our bracing is an automatic reaction based on our perspective, not on the actual fear or danger of something. Some of us are so familiar with bracing in any moment of discomfort we do it automatically. Discomfort which can derive from unfamiliarity can bring up fear and hence the bracing. These days we remedy the discomfort by occupying ourselves with our smartphones. That is one option.  Another option is to notice when we are bracing ourselves and use it as a prompting to take a deep breath.  We never know what might come into our awareness in those in-between moments if we let go of bracing.  Perhaps we will actually look at the person next to us in line at the store or in the car next to us and smile.  Maybe we can appreciate the courage of the call center person who is going to help us right after getting chewed out by the person previous to us who was bracing and took out his/her discomfort on them. Maybe if we pause and take a breath, let go of our bracing, when we do send a text or an email it will not be sent with the fear-bracing nature we are feeling.