So, early this morning I’m in the shower calling in Reiki for the day. I start to hear the babies, awake and crying, impatient to be fed no doubt. It’s hard to tell whether it’s both twin boys or whether our 1 ½ year old daughter is in the mix. My partner is downstairs – she must be waiting for me to get them out of bed. My natural parental instinct is to do just that – when the call comes you answer. But I also know that I need only a few more minutes, and if I stop now it could be a couple of hours before I can have a bit of solitude to start again (although I’m well practiced at calling in on the run, I prefer being able to focus solely on what I’m doing).
“The babies can wait a couple of minutes,” I tell myself. “They’re fine”. Then I continue on with what I’m doing. I can still hear the babies in the background, loudly wondering why no one has picked them up yet. After all, It’s been two minutes, maybe three.
I complete a send, step out of the shower and towel off. It’s quiet – my partner must have been up to collect the babies already. I check the bedrooms. All three babies are sound asleep.
This was a test, right?
It’s easy to get distracted. Between work and family responsibilities, I could go from the time I rise to the time I go to bed without stopping for even a cup of coffee and still not get everything done. That would be my excuse for stepping off the path, for not walking the walk.
I’ve learned that it’s crucial to find time to take care of myself, to do the things I want and need to do to nurture my own growth and development. And that feeds back into being able to be more positive and effective when working or taking care of others. Everything you send out into the world comes from within you, what is within you is what you send out.
This morning I chose to focus on a few moments of inner peace, and the babies went back to sleep. I wouldn’t recommend that course of action during a four-alarm fire, for example. Yet even when life is packed and exceedingly busy, somehow there is always time and space if you really want it.
Reiki Flow 