"Let's Stop Talking"
Today I am grateful for grapefruit and a bike ride. I am also grateful for my colleagues and the ways we know and support one another.
While on our recent trip, Darcy and I ran a 10K. We live at an elevation of just over 700 feet. We ran this 10K at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet. We knew the altitude would impact our run, but we were pleasantly surprised at the pace we were able to maintain. I am grateful we have continued to keep some extra weight off and that sure helps our pace.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the tidbit of wisdom that we overheard in the first mile. Two younger girls were running with an adult just behind us. They were conversing and the adult asked how the other two were doing and if they wanted to slow down. One girl responded "No, but let's stop talking." Darcy and I smiled when we heard that. We are typically conversation-pace runners, but we were exerting more effort to get enough air to breathe that morning ourselves.
"Let's stop talking" is good advice, applicable on a run as well as many other times.
*When angry, or feeling myself getting angry, that is almost always a good time for me to stop talking. If I don't, I tend to get harsh and things escalate. That doesn't mean I can't say what I need to say to set boundaries or clarify, just that I should calm down first.
*When emotions are rolling strong, whether they be joyful or sorrowful, that can be a good time to stop talking also. Though we may be uncomfortable in the difficult emotions, feeling them is often the best way through them. Continuing to talk may only mask or deny them. The joyful ones are more comfortable, but arguably also better felt (and enjoyed) when we pause to fully grasp what it is that we have to be grateful for, when we feel that positive emotion to our core, in our heart and soul.
*I have come to more fully appreciate quiet and presence in this moment. We miss many sights, sounds, opportunities, and daily gifts if we are always caught up in chatter (whether with someone else or in our own heads). "Let's stop talking and watch this sunrise." "Let's stop talking and listen to the birds sing." Let's stop talking and just breathe, just breathe."
Today, I will certainly do some talking, but I will also be intentional about silence and what it tells me.
While on our recent trip, Darcy and I ran a 10K. We live at an elevation of just over 700 feet. We ran this 10K at an elevation of nearly 5,000 feet. We knew the altitude would impact our run, but we were pleasantly surprised at the pace we were able to maintain. I am grateful we have continued to keep some extra weight off and that sure helps our pace.
I was also pleasantly surprised by the tidbit of wisdom that we overheard in the first mile. Two younger girls were running with an adult just behind us. They were conversing and the adult asked how the other two were doing and if they wanted to slow down. One girl responded "No, but let's stop talking." Darcy and I smiled when we heard that. We are typically conversation-pace runners, but we were exerting more effort to get enough air to breathe that morning ourselves.
"Let's stop talking" is good advice, applicable on a run as well as many other times.
*When angry, or feeling myself getting angry, that is almost always a good time for me to stop talking. If I don't, I tend to get harsh and things escalate. That doesn't mean I can't say what I need to say to set boundaries or clarify, just that I should calm down first.
*When emotions are rolling strong, whether they be joyful or sorrowful, that can be a good time to stop talking also. Though we may be uncomfortable in the difficult emotions, feeling them is often the best way through them. Continuing to talk may only mask or deny them. The joyful ones are more comfortable, but arguably also better felt (and enjoyed) when we pause to fully grasp what it is that we have to be grateful for, when we feel that positive emotion to our core, in our heart and soul.
*I have come to more fully appreciate quiet and presence in this moment. We miss many sights, sounds, opportunities, and daily gifts if we are always caught up in chatter (whether with someone else or in our own heads). "Let's stop talking and watch this sunrise." "Let's stop talking and listen to the birds sing." Let's stop talking and just breathe, just breathe."
Today, I will certainly do some talking, but I will also be intentional about silence and what it tells me.
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