Aprons: Oracion Mental

Be who you are and be that well.
- St. Francis de Sales

This is the essence of oracion mental, or the Prayer of Quiet. Everyone needs a good rest, but often we fear that stopping to rest would cause us to neglect our work, appear lazy, or miss deadlines.

Being is what we do when we "do nothing." Being is healthy. Being is essential to maintaining inner peace, serenity, and most importantly, sanity.

If you subscribe to Biblical wisdom, then let me call your attention to the oft quoted verse in Psalm 46:10:

Be still and know that I am God.

BE still. Or in the aforementioned words of St. Francis de Sales, "BE who you are." Be. Be. Be. What is the importance of all this being? The ability to "be" is an amazing opportunity. When we rest, we are then given the chance to return in freedom to the crazy world.

Perhaps my favorite story of escapist rest is one of the famous evangelist John Wesley's mother, Suzanna Wesley. Mother of nineteen children (wow...), Suzanna never neglected the need for retreat and solitude. As you can imagine, she didn't exactly have the time to go for a long walk, or to escape to a chapel to pray.

Instead, she simply tossed her apron over her head. A simple and creative escape, really. From behind her apron, Suzanna was free to contemplate, rest, and be. Then when the apron came back down, Suzanna was renewed and ready to go back to her unending tasks of cooking, cleaning, and caring for her brood of nineteen.

Your ticket to escaping reality for a few minutes? As simple as digging your apron out of the closet and putting it over your head. (And when the apron comes down, I personally recommend finding some new recipes and cooking up a storm! But that will be a topic for another day.)

So may you find your quiet. May you rest in the oracion mental. Creatively uncover your own method of respite. "Be who you are and be that well."

Orange Peels

Our world hears

too much analyst and too little artist.

Robert K. Greenleaf wrote this in his article Servant Leadership. So many people are apt to complain, analyze, and criticize. I have these tendencies as well, but I've begun to realize that cynicism accomplishes...nothing, really. Political tensions, ethics debates, and injustices on all sides certainly give grounds for skepticism and pessimism. However, I issue you a challenge to creatively view the world positively.

A very wise, witty, and philosophical friend of mine - during an amusing rant about joy - once made a great comment about peeling oranges.

He decided that we should be fully able to be astronomically joyful and thankful 24/7. Not just when we get a good gift, or when somebody makes us laugh or smile...nope. All the time.

"It's like peeling an orange," he said. He continued with something like: "When you hold it in your hand, think of how it got to you. Be thankful for the rains that made it grow. When you peel it, be thankful for the workers who picked it. With every bite, be thankful for the complex naural, supernatural, and human network that has given you that orange."

Enjoy the wonder and majesty and hugeness of the universe. Enjoy the happy little smiling feeling you get (really, don't deny it) when you drink a cup of tea. Cynicism knocks the joy right out of life. So be creative. Think of ways to change situations rather than analyze the heck out of them.

So take a sip of tea and stop ranting. It's a little bit like peeling an orange.