Unplugged

The washing machine isn’t working.  The tub is full of water and wet clothes, but the agitator refuses to agitate.  This happened several years ago.  “Unplug it,” my husband said,  “Let it reset.”   So, that’s what I’ve done.   I’m hoping for the best,  as I just bought a new dishwasher last week.  It, too, had decided to go on vacation.

We all need to unplug occasionally and let out mind and soul reset.  It’s so easy to accumulate so much mental junk that our brains and bodies just don’t work very well.  There’s stress, and then there is stress!  Unplugging and taking time for re-creation is vitally important.  Getting some distance from our issues is a good way to gain a different perspective.  I know I am functioning much better since I detached from 24-7 news.  I still definitely care about what’s going on in the world, but I can get so overwhelmed by the constant diet of bad news and negativity that it affects my sleep and general health.  How much better to stay somewhat informed but to focus primarily on what I can do and influence, a circle that is getting smaller as I grow older.

I’m grateful President Biden is willing to serve another term.  I can’t imagine why he’d want to, yet we oldsters often have a wealth of accumulated wisdom and information that only time can provide and is desperately needed in our hurry up and rush world.  I’d much rather see Biden in the White House as he’s at least a reasonable, caring human being, a grown-up instead of a spoiled child.  I tremble to think of all of the evil spirits that will get unleashed if Donald Trump gets a chance to re-open Pandora’s box. We don’t need any help in freeing our shadow selves.  What we need is leadership that focuses on positive interactions and concern for everyone.

Words fascinate me.  Recreation, for instance.  Atonement is another.  Recreation can best be understood as re-creation, which is the logic behind the Sabbath, a day off from work to rest and relax, to unplug for the time being, and just focus on being.  All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, you know.  Atonement is one of those big, heavy theological words that simply remind us to be at one-ment with the world, each other, ourselves, and our Higher Power.  We generally use at-one-ment when we refer to God; God is one with us.  However, we’d do well to recognize the importance of our need to reciprocate by unplugging from our worldly woes and our mental/emotional junk so we can be at-one-moment with not just God but our better selves.  After all, just as we can be our own worst enemy, so we are capable of being our own best advocate, setting healthy boundaries, practicing gratitude, and choosing to be our best selves.