This Mindful Moment: Reconnecting to Yourself

There are seasons in life when the world becomes a long list of things to do.

Laundry waiting in piles like soft hills on the horizon.

Meals to cook.

Children to drive.

Emails to answer.

People to care for.

Even the joyful things like travel or gatherings can start to feel like tasks lined up in a row.

And somewhere in the middle of all that movement we begin to chase a feeling of being put together. We try to get the ducks in a row. We organize the drawer. We tidy the kitchen. We straighten the blankets on the couch. We try to make life neat and smooth so that maybe we will feel neat and smooth too.

But inside, something quieter is calling.

There is a part of you who is not asking for perfection.

A part of you who is not asking for a better calendar or a cleaner house.

A part of you who is simply longing for connection.

Connection to the soft inner place where your spirit rests.

Connection to joy that arrives with no purpose other than being joy.

Connection to the child inside who once played just because the sun was shining.

We often think about connection as something shared with others.

But the deepest connection begins with ourselves.

So take a breath and let the world fall away for a moment.

You are not behind.

You are not failing at being an adult.

You are simply a human being who has forgotten, for a moment, to turn inward.

The truth is this: your ducks may never line up. They are wild little things after all.

But your spirit will always respond when you turn toward it with gentleness.

You can reconnect at the kitchen table with a cup of tea.

You can reconnect in the car while waiting for your child to finish practice.

You can reconnect while folding warm towels fresh from the dryer.

You can reconnect anywhere you pause long enough to remember you have an inner world that needs tending.

Return to yourself.

Return to the simple joy of being alive.

Return to the self who longs for your attention as much as anyone else does.

A Mindful Practice to Try

The Gentle Return: A Journaling Practice

Find a place where you can sit for a few minutes. Let your shoulders drop. Let your breath soften. Let the world be as it is.

Then write:

1. What part of me has been asking for my attention lately?

2. Where in my life do I feel the most disconnected from myself?

3. What is one small thing I can do this week that is just for joy and not for productivity?

4. What does my spirit need from me right now?

Write slowly.

Write without judgment.

Write as though you are meeting yourself again after a long time apart.

Let this be a gentle homecoming