Monday hits us with the familiar sound of the alarm clock. We get swept up into the week and the usual pattern ensues, as we succumb to the expectations, norms and conventions of everydayness. Before the week has even started we long for the weekend again.
Are we being true to ourselves as we live like this? For much of the time we are on auto pilot, and this is often the case for those who work and even for those who don’t.
It is inevitable in many respects that we get swept along with the day to day, but we can lose sight of the now as we peddle fast to keep up with others or engage for the sake of engagement or obligation. We forget that we have it in our gift to stop even in the midst of to-do-ness.
This can happen as we glance up from washing the dishes and catch a rainbow, or stop to watch the ducks in the canal on our way to work, or we have a moment of anxiety brought on by any number of triggers. These moments can plunge us into despair but can also awaken us to our meaning in the world. The rainbow, the duck or the anxiety can jolt us into wakefulness.
Being authentic in our life is to create a balance between the everydayness we can get swept into and the pauses and sometimes stresses, which allow us to reclaim our lives and live more authentically.