ACCENTUATING LIFE

 

I had a flashback this morning as I finally got myself seriously focused on a task I have set aside for long enough. It really isn’t in my nature to procrastinate, but there are a few things in life that I just can’t get down to doing. I’m sure I am not alone in admitting this and now that I have, maybe others will own up to it as well.

So, I set out to figure out a way to motivate my mind to relax. I needed to convince it that not everything in life is easy and not everything is fun, but they are just things that need to be done.

At that point I stopped and remembered sitting in a grand Cathedral in Florence, Italy. I was drawn to it because I heard an intriguing sound echoing through the cobblestone street. It wasn’t instrumental, but definitely sounded musical. 

My curiosity got me to walk into a darkened amphitheater of sorts, with lit candles everywhere, a faint sense of incense, and a few people sitting in old wooden varnished brown chairs. They seemed to sit there like zombies, very calm and definitely quiet, as they listened to the vibrations of a chorus of vocal sounds coming from a group of robed men behind a huge altar. 

I sat there for what seemed like a very long time and the sounds went on to infinity. There was no break. It was mesmerizing and intriguing but when I felt like I was being drawn into a cult-like world, I got up and slowly walked out. 

A couple of monks were standing outside and I boldly asked them what that was all about. They explained it was a Gregorian Chant session to help anxious, worried, sad and grieving people relax. I thanked them for letting me know, and then I walked away, admitting to myself that I actually did feel very relaxed and appreciated learning something new. After all, I was only in my 30s and who knows when such an experience might come in handy.

Well I figured now is a good time to see if it can work for me when it comes to accomplishing unappealing, boring but necessary home-based tasks, that have been heavily on my mind for far too long. 

I googled “432 Gregorian chants” and UTube popped up with a three hour session. I sat back with both bare feet on the ground, both eyes closed and both of my arms spread out across my living room sofa. I’m not sure how long I stayed focused, but at some point I opened my eyes and said “okay, get to it.”

And, “Get to it” I did. With the chant continuing in the background, I got all the components of the task together in one place and said “you are not diverting to anything else until this is done.”

I think it only took me thirty minutes to complete the task, and now  when I think about all the times I nudged myself saying “yes yes it is on my To Do list”, postponing and postponing, and letting it bother me, I put my mind and body through so much angst!

The morale of this story is when you know something needs to be done — get relaxed and do it; when you know something needs to be said — get relaxed and say it. I’m all for making life a beautiful ride and 432 hz music, AquaYoga, QiGong, cycling and forest walks definitely work for me!