The silence in the Louvre in Abu Dhabi late at night is deafening. There were a few people around, standing or sitting, voices hushed. The sound of the wind and our steps were the dominating sounds where we were, with the dull sounds of music in the background of where we had been. This was the backdrop to the tall stone walls and a single statue. I stopped, paused, and stood silent. I could see an illustration of the writer’s words: “One handful of peaceful repose is better than two fistfuls of worried work – more spitting into the wind.” (Ecclesiastes 4.6)
As I write, the sound of my typing is broken up by the occasional pause and sip from the fresh French press coffee I made this morning. In the regular cadence of my life, Life reminds me that prioritising this time centres and grounds everything that will follow in my day.
Rhythms are opportunities for me to be habitually intentional. They do not always come naturally. When I invest in healthy cadence activities, I create rhythms that prioritise my heart and soul. There are no shortcuts. Priorities require my commitment, discipline, and willingness to be present and open to what follows. There are times of restoration, when my physical and mental being is nurtured and cared for. There are also times of learning, when my heart is taken back to school to see and grow from everything that has been seen and experienced. In this rhythm, I know that when I bring my full self, Divinity shows up in the same.
Work comes in many forms. My first thought of work is physical labour, strain, and the stress that always seems to be present. I also know work includes problem solving, slowing down to let my mind and imagination take me to places where I find fresh perspectives and new ideas. Work of a different sort is found in the effort that I invest in hearing and understanding others. I enjoy most work; I love listening to understand. This is where I find Divinity.
