Do less. Be more.

Every day, I get at least three emails with suggestions on how to thrive in the time of social distancing and stay-at-home orders. 

Get creative. Learn how to run your business online, while getting into “beach body” condition. Read War and Peace. Start a new hobby. Clean out closets. Bond with your family over puzzles, cooking together, board games, crafts.  

I’ve done some of these things. And sometimes the family fun turns into someone throwing the cards down in a tantrum and leaving the table in a huff (something I’ve never seen on Facebook). Cooking . . . well, it’s just not going to be a bonding experience in my household, since I am really the only one who cares about food as more than a way to stay alive.

All the “doing” can blind us to the richness of what is possible, if only we'd just take a minute to be.

Just be.

Let the mind rest. Let the hands be idle. Let our completely impressive yet ultimately vulnerable human selves take stock in the safety of the present. 

Do nothing. Be something.

You don’t have to know why mindfulness enhances clarity and focus — any more than you have to understand what push-ups do to muscle fibers to make you stronger.

You just have to do the “exercise.”

This week, I invite you to sit on the couch and let the mind rest. Do something really big by doing nothing for five minutes.

And while you do that, listen to this.

---

This week’s guided meditation

If you’ve never tried a guided meditation, this one from Sara Flitner is a great place to start. It’s as simple as they get and just six minutes long.