In addition to splitting up blog duties, Cait and I also split up areas of sickness.  As you’ve read before, Cait’s dominates all the gastro fun, while I typically own the upper respiratory, sinus, influenza route.

And because life is full of irony, I managed to get hit by this bout of flu on the week that I start reading The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere by Pico Iyer.  And thus began my period of enforced stillness. It is an incredibly beautiful book.   And sadly, I only got halfway before the four horsemen of flupocalypse left me a whiney fetal positioned mess.  I basically write this post in the 15 minute window of wellness I have every few hours.  But before that all happened, I did find this really amazing quote:

“Going nowhere, was the grand adventure that makes sense of everywhere else.”

I don’t do this enough.  In fact, I don’t really ever do this.  I tell myself I lead a balanced life.  Regular exercise, a healthy amount of sleep and social time, a good diet.  I freaking nap every day.  And I tell myself that it’s my recovery time, but is it really?  I don’t really get the chance to sit back and reflect on challenges, victories, defeats.  It’s generally go go go over here.

And I wonder how things can and will improve if I do incorporate this stillness in my life.  I have time for it.  I can make time for it.  And I can definitely learn to enjoy it too.

If you don’t have time to read The Art of Stillness, you can also check out this amazing interview that Pico Iyer did with Krista Tippett, on her very amazing podcast, On Being.