Day 59: Attending to Your Natural Rhythms

We, each of us, are uniquely US.  Built into that uniqueness are our NATURAL RHYTHMS.  What do I mean by natural rhythms?  Let me give you an example:  I am usually up by 5AM.  I like to write and reflect for a couple of hours before I am off to work.  I dedicate the early part of my day to going about those things that require my cognitive capacity to be at its best.  I save the latter part of the day for those activities that are more logistical in nature.  I do this because I have an awareness of when my mind is at its optimum.  I like to walk in the afternoon/evening or to do some sort of activity that requires simple physical coordinating along with some aerobic content.  I do this because I FEEL BETTER when I engage in activity latter in the day. I ALWAYS close out my day with meditation.  For myself, I find that meditating on my breathing, my heart beat, my immediate environment, and then going through all of the things that I am grateful for, closing with a prayer for the highest good of the world at large, sets the stage for a GREAT NIGHTS SLEEP.

My daughter, on the other hand, has very different natural rhythms.  She prefers to sleep in until noon or latter - SHE IS NOT A MORNING PERSON!  When she gets up she likes to take her time in getting ready and making plans for the day.  She will usually get together with friends, to talk and just hang out.  Social interaction is important to her - whether she is learning, doing something, traveling - when she does whatever she is going to do, she prefers to do it in the company of those she enjoys -  this is when she is happiest.  She chooses to work a late shift because that is what meshes best with her personal rhythm.  She enjoys the people she works with because THEY ARE LIKE HER in that they have similar natural rhythms. 

My daughter and I have worked through our challenges in sharing a household when we each have different natural rhythms.  We "get" each other and we accept our differences and try to be respectful of what each other's needs are relative to our differences.  In loving her, I love ALL OF HER, including those unique parts that are different than me.  I have learned to appreciate that her differences are what make her uniquely her, and I wouldn't have it any other way.