How can we stay connected?
Posted on Jul 15th, 2008
by 
synonym for light
synonym for light
This is in Response to the Questions and Reflections for July 15, 2008:
How can we sustain connection in difficult times? What do we need to remember? How do you stay connected when you're feeling pressured or frustrated?
When I feel frustrated or pressured; when times are difficult and I can't remember my highest ideals that I'd like to fuel my behavior; that's when I need to take a time out to regroup.
Sometimes it's better to take some quiet time for oneself, to disconnect, before reconnecting.
You know how they say you should unplug electrical devices during an electrical storm? You're supposed to unplug them, disconnect them, from the electrical outlet to protect their inner parts.
When I'm stormy and turbulent I find it's best to disconnect myself. Different amounts of time do the trick in different situations. Finding a quiet space inside or outside, inside AND outside, is the best thing for me to do. Yoga helps me do this. Meditation helps me do this. Going for a walk helps me do this. Sometimes reading a book or taking a nap helps me do this. Sometimes connecting with a friend can help too, but sometimes it might be better for me to ride out my own storms and not send all that energy to interact with the inner parts of others.
I don't think we need to strive to stay connected. Connections maybe should be allowed to wax and wane naturally, at some times stronger than at others.
I like to be open to discovering unexpected connections.
When I think of connections from an internet or phone perspective I think.... I like that I can choose who to be connected to and when. I go to sites that add to my experience of life and avoid sites that leave me feeling........ saddened. I dial the numbers of folks who I choose to connect with and often don't answer the phone if it's not the best time for me to talk. But then again, I sometimes answer the phone at strange hours because I wonder if it isn't someone who really needs to connect and I always tell my friends and family to call at ANY time of day or night if they really need something. They know I won't answer if I'm in a yoga class or busy with an emergency at work or if I am so much in need of a good sleep that I turn off the phone.
So, I like to be open to people trying to connect with me and I do like to connect with others, but I don't worship at the alter of connection for it's own sake.
Sometimes solitude is sweeter and leads to another kind of connection.
When I feel frustrated or pressured; when times are difficult and I can't remember my highest ideals that I'd like to fuel my behavior; that's when I need to take a time out to regroup.
Sometimes it's better to take some quiet time for oneself, to disconnect, before reconnecting.
You know how they say you should unplug electrical devices during an electrical storm? You're supposed to unplug them, disconnect them, from the electrical outlet to protect their inner parts.
When I'm stormy and turbulent I find it's best to disconnect myself. Different amounts of time do the trick in different situations. Finding a quiet space inside or outside, inside AND outside, is the best thing for me to do. Yoga helps me do this. Meditation helps me do this. Going for a walk helps me do this. Sometimes reading a book or taking a nap helps me do this. Sometimes connecting with a friend can help too, but sometimes it might be better for me to ride out my own storms and not send all that energy to interact with the inner parts of others.
I don't think we need to strive to stay connected. Connections maybe should be allowed to wax and wane naturally, at some times stronger than at others.
I like to be open to discovering unexpected connections.
When I think of connections from an internet or phone perspective I think.... I like that I can choose who to be connected to and when. I go to sites that add to my experience of life and avoid sites that leave me feeling........ saddened. I dial the numbers of folks who I choose to connect with and often don't answer the phone if it's not the best time for me to talk. But then again, I sometimes answer the phone at strange hours because I wonder if it isn't someone who really needs to connect and I always tell my friends and family to call at ANY time of day or night if they really need something. They know I won't answer if I'm in a yoga class or busy with an emergency at work or if I am so much in need of a good sleep that I turn off the phone.
So, I like to be open to people trying to connect with me and I do like to connect with others, but I don't worship at the alter of connection for it's own sake.
Sometimes solitude is sweeter and leads to another kind of connection.
Access: Public
connected
August 2008 
Yes!
I don't think anything gets in the way of connection, it's always an option but sometimes the connection I want isn't with other people. There are all kinds of connections. Solitude is a kind of connection too. I enjoy all of them.
I don't think I ever disconnect, even when I'm stormy, I just connect differently. I wouldn't want to change that.
I like your response. You came at the question from some new angles and shared a lot of interesting ideas!
Is a wave “connected” to the ocean? Connectedness or disconnectedness are only a matter of perception. When we feel disconnected, the things you do like yoga and meditation serve to remind us that we are always “connected.” Lately, I've been feeling more like a separate wave and less like the ocean. For me, meditation and being in nature are wonderful ways to remind me that like that lawnmower in your photograph, I don't need to be “plugged in” to the Source … the Source is me …
Yes, yes.