After an almost 9 month hiatus from blogging here, I’m back … Starting Again! The lapse was a conscious choice, rather than a lack of time or interest. It was part of an overall decision to give up much of what I’d become comfortable with as an exercise in reassessing value in my life. I’m calling the project Start Again, based on the phrase spoken repeatedly by S.N. Goenka throughout the Vipassana meditation retreats I’ve attended. These words remind me that life is constantly in flux and rather than dwelling on the past or the future, to be in the moment. Obviously much easier said than practiced, but that’s the point – it’s a constant practice.
The experience was initially quite uncomfortable, but in some ways it was also a relief – like permission to let go of activities/things that had come to feel more like unhealthy traps. I’ve incorporated a number of these practices back into my life for now – as they weren’t necessarily intended to be permanent but many I continue to live without.