Charge!

Listening to Charlie Rose interview Arianna Huffington about her new book, Thrive, I was impressed with the conversation about her family’s recent digital detox. Huffington explained that our electronic devices tell us how they are, and upon knowing their status, we react.  An alert on our computer says it is disconnected from the network. We plug in our cellphone and learn it is ‘charging 45%.’  Then Huffington said, “We need to figure out how to listen to ourselves in a similar way.”

Now, I haven’t read Huffington’s book yet, but considering the cleverness of the dialogue between her and Rose, I will. I imagine that she points out that what we mostly do is keep charging ahead instead of taking the time to recharge.  I’ll bet there’s a mention of how often certain things in life are charging toward us and we either join the throng or get out of the way, both requiring a great deal of energy. It wouldn’t surprise me if she used words like ‘adapt’ and ‘compatible,’ reflecting electronic adapters and compatible devices, and phrases with ‘universal’ and ‘charger’ in them.

Parents learn to adapt when they see a child’s trigger move them toward temper or sleep. One of the best things a parent can do is help a child pay attention to and understand their own triggers. Several Christmases ago, when my great niece was nearly two years old, she opened one box and then pulled her blankie over her head. Everyone thought it was cute, but they coaxed her out to open more. In retrospect they learned that even as a toddler she was telling them that she was overstimulated and overwhelmed and needed quiet and solitude. Helping a child understand that they are tired or full or in need of a hug are critical lessons that will help them adjust to their reality and teach them how to maneuver in this complicated thing called life. It will also give them a sense of control, which, if they are wise, they will learn is only sometimes true.

When writing my to-do list for this weekend, I sighed. Recognizing I needed time to refresh, I rescheduled many items to next week or some undetermined date and wrote down ‘rest.’ Can you name your own signals that tell you it is time to recharge?

We just marked Passover and Easter, times of reflection, remembering, celebration, and hope. I trust that the holiday helped you feel rejuvenated for what lies ahead. I’ll close by asking – at what charged percentage are you starting this week?  If it’s not 100% or close to it, when and how can you plug in – or unplug – to renew your energy and your spirit?

Inside myself is a place where I live all alone and that is where I renew my springs that never dry up. Pearl S. Buck

Marilyn