Keep Calm and......

November is ending in my little part of Ontario, with gloomy skies and rain. This lends itself to overcast interior skies as well and an inclination to hibernate, or  perhaps a state of torpor; long periods of sleep broken by short periods of feeding on nuts. Right, that's for chipmunks. It takes a lot of little extra effort to face the day sometimes, especially as we are now heading into a season of what can be particular insanity. It is hard to remain balanced somewhere realistic between what is seen and advertised as necessary to enjoy the season, and what demonstrates a spirit of love and generosity to both those we love and those in need. I need a sign that says "Keep Calm and Christmas On".

I have decided that my British ancestry, those original "Keep Calm" folks, has become diluted over the generations because that calm gene seems to be missing. This slogan is of course, not ancient, harking back only as far as the second World War, and was to be used to raise the morale of the British public in time of war and specifically should Britain be invaded. It was one of three slogans being considered and was never printed for bulk distribution as a propaganda poster. A test print was found and in the last few years this slogan has become a universally known meme, apparently capturing something in the public's collective psyche.

Regardless of its current use or the historic intent, I found it interesting that the slogan was not just "Keep Calm".  Instead, it cleverly and possibly inadvertently, sets out the desired goal and how to achieve it; keep calm by carrying on with life in spite of danger and fear. Setting aside the current or historic use of the slogan, I was thinking that the "and" was the important word in the phrase. I don't think that calmness can be achieved or maintained passively; some action or activity is required. Everyday life is so busy and unpredictable that it is hard to remain anywhere even in the remote region of balanced. I sometimes wonder too, if it is not harder to handle the smaller annoyances and daily mental clutter of relatively normal life that just slowly and inexorably erode your peace of mind.

I realized that I have already put some strategies in place that work for me and that the variety of memes that have evolved is actually a reflection of the number of things that people do or use to maintain some personal sense of calm in their lives. I will not include "Keep Calm and Coffee On" in my list because, well,that is just a given.

Keep Calm ....and Walk On.
For me, this is almost a necessity; a physical change of environment that diverts my mind completely, giving the whirring a chance to settle down and demanding focus on what it around me. The wind reminds me to take a deep breath, and the beauty, no matter the season, commands my attention. My camera helps me see not just the vista but the minute, and marvel pushes worry aside if only for a time. And every once in a while, I bump into someone on the path, and that short, chance encounter adds something really meaningful to my day. So while meandering on the trail may not provide a lot of aerobic exercise for my heart, it provides emotional health for my heart. I am satisfied with that. 

....and Book On.
Stephen King said that "books are a uniquely portable magic"; a "timeout" guaranteed to carry you away for five minutes or an hour or so. And sometimes if I can't concentrate enough to follow the thread of a story, I can still look at a book or magazine for creative ideas or do a little research to identify something in my growing "what is that?" photo files. Another favorite diversion is to spend an hour looking for books at the local thrift stores. The search is fun and lifts the the spirit, the cost is small and the rewards are sometimes amazing. No down side ever, because there is always a treasure found for someone.I also read that it's not hoarding if it is books.

....and Create On.
There is something uniquely therapeutic in giving the analytical side of your brain a rest and using the other side to create something. It doesn't have to be something big, because sometimes we just don't have the time or energy for that, but maybe writing a few lines, colouring a page, taking a photo or rearranging a shelf so it is more pleasing. These few moments can nourish the soul and give expression to something from inside yourself, and solely for yourself, should you decide it.

....and Rest On.
Life can be relentless, and the times of stress, sorrow or pain, can vastly outnumber those times when things even seem ok, never mind happy. I have decided, slightly later in life, that if you want to keep up you have to allow time for rest; mental, emotional and physical. I also know that at times it seems like an impossibility. I was trying to keep up with teenage boys, working full time, was a wife, was caring for increasing ill and feeble parents and then buried my parents. An incredibly intense time when you just put your head down and deal with it the best you can. It is a bit blurry now in some ways, all compacted together, like when you take a trip and do so many things each day, that when you come home you can't remember what day you did those things on. I learned how vulnerable you can become when when body and mind are exhausted and you are trying to keep your emotions reined in. Grief and pain and fear will find an expression, if not emotionally, then physically. Over time, and mostly unintentionally, I have simplified my life; my schedule, my activities and my expectations. My life is quieter now, includes a smaller circle of people and a shorter list of activities, which now includes things like couch time with a book and a solitary walk. Times for rest.  Life is not different. I am different.