by: Randy Peyser
Have you ever made vows to yourself? For example, did you ever find yourself saying something like, “I’m never going to sweat the small stuff again…”
After having been “inducted” into the “Sisterhood of the Pink Ribbon”, I remember saying to myself that I would never stress about anything ever again, because nothing could ever be as stressful in comparison to the reign of chemo I experienced in 2012.
But the truth is, as my life moved on, and my hair grew back, I noticed that there were more than enough opportunities for me to jump back on the stress wagon at every turn. I felt burdened by the fear of recurrence, the strain of having had my income depleted, the ridiculously expensive health insurance that now equaled my monthly mortgage payment, and more.
So, there I was, plowing through the latest stack of hundreds of emails and e-newsletters that flooded my Inbox from people I didn’t even remember. I was clearly back in stress-land after promising myself I would never go there again.
Then, life presented an opportunity for me to actually turn off my computer and do something I’d never done before; I was invited to go pick avocados in an avocado grove owned by an elderly man I’d recently met.
The grove had about 40 avocado trees. As I walked through the grove, I was in awe of the many branches that were laden with hundreds of avocados on each branch! I felt such a sense of great abundance as I walked around the trees and picked ones that looked ripe that I could reach.
While I was in the grove, I hugged one of the avocado trees. I expressed my love and gratitude to the tree. (I even kissed it.) I felt so “held” by the tree. It was a “warm embrace”, a flow of love.
Then I picked some green beans from the giant garden up near the owner’s house and visited with him for about an hour. He’s a man in his late 80’s who lives independently and manages this huge property with its many vegetable gardens and orchards.
On the drive home, I felt a deep sense of peace. It was a sense of peace I haven’t felt in many years. It was deep, deep, deep, deep peace.
It was not the kind of feeling I could ever get from typing on a computer. I wished that this feeling of relaxation and peace could have stayed with me forever. It was like I didn’t have a care or worry in the world.
I realized how important it is for me to unhook from technology and get rooted again in nature. This experience feeds me in a way that technology never can.
Here’s to many unplugged moments!
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About our Guest Blogger:
Randy Peyser is the author of The Power of Miracle Thinking www.MiracleThinking.com, and the upcoming book, Bald Courage. Randy is the CEO of Author One Stop, Inc., a national publishing consulting firm that edits and ghostwrites books and helps people find literary agents and publishers. www.AuthorOneStop.com.
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