The Fallow Time

For those of you who have been wondering where I have been, I would answer that I’ve probably been in the same situation that many of you have been: sick. I got s sinus infection last month and that hung on through two rounds of antibiotics and a lot of other time just feeling lethargic. I’m slowly getting back to health, but it’s taking longer than I want. Some things you just can’t rush.

We here in the United States have just gone through our semi-annual changing of the clocks, and I’m doing my best not to get depressed about it. I tend to be pretty light sensitive and having sundown at 4:30 right now (and getting as early as 4:10 in December!) usually puts me in a funk. It’s dark so early that you feel like you can never do anything outside in the evenings, so after a busy day, it’s just time to hibernate.

I’m trying to have another view of this time this year. The agricultural concept of letting a field go fallow (i.e. not growing crops for a season) is to allow it to rejuvenate so that it is stronger and more vigorous in the future. Just like we know that you get stronger by sleeping (because you break down the body during exercise and it restores itself during rest), your mind and spirit also need a break. If you consider that the Christian season of Advent comes at this time between Halloween and Christmas, you can see that people traditionally have recognized this time as one for rest and contemplation.

I’m seeing this time for me as an opportunity to rest in many ways do that my body mind and spirit can renew itself and get more grounded in itself and I can therefore make better plans for the upcoming year and the rest of my life.

As I do more research and writing, I’m seeing that a key area to the work I do in career development and planning has to do with the space in between identifying what you want and the actions you need to get there. Unless you feel your own personal power that you can take those steps, you’ll never do it. We all know people who know what they need to do to lead a better, happier, healthier, more successful life, but for some reason they don’t take those actions. I’m seeing more and more that it’s because these people don’t feel inside that they have the power to change. In developing my own personal power, I’ve found that you can discover it if you just take the time to slow down and notice it in yourself. That’s why we all need to be fallow occasionally.

You can choose how you will best be fallow. I’m going on a retreat this weekend to Easton Mountain called the Art of Powerful Living with Harry Faddis and Michael Cohen. I’m also taking all of Thanksgiving week off to just stay at home and recover from life (and the sinus infection sluggishness).

So, what are you doing to recover? What areas of your life are you letting go fallow intentionally?

Views: 8