Читать книгу Stopping - David Kundtz - Страница 20

Finally it has penetrated my thick skull.This life—this moment—is nodress rehearsal. This is it!

F. KNEBEL

12

Stillpoints, Stopovers, and Grinding Halts

Stopping has three levels. They are based on length of time: Stillpoints, Stopovers, and Grinding Halts. All are effective, but each one is meant for different moments of life.

A Stillpoint is Stopping quickly and doing nothing for just a moment. It is brief and meant to be used anytime, all the time (every day, in fact), and many times a day. Stillpoints are essentially very short: a few seconds or a few minutes. They are designed to take advantage of the unfilled moments in life: waiting for the microwave to heat your coffee, brushing your teeth, or sitting at a stoplight. They are also to be used at moments of stress: walking into an interview, during a feeling of anger, or when you know you're going to be late for an appointment.

Somewhat less frequent are Stopovers, which are those times that are longer than a Stillpoint, an hour to several days. These are the wonderful times of Stopping, when you really have the feeling that you have been away and have had a mini-vacation for the soul. The most common expression of the Stopover is the afternoon, day, or weekend away, whether you go anywhere or not.

Grinding Halts will probably happen only a couple of times in most people's lives. They are times from a week to a month— or more. Obviously, these need more planning, require a larger and deeper commitment of time and energy, and typically happen at times of life transitions.

These are the three levels, or the three expressions, of Stopping. Each is effective, but the more frequent the repetitions or the longer the time, the more lasting the effect. Think of the three levels as going down (each one deeper and more effective) and plumbing the deeper recesses of your being, allowing you to creatively and joyfully do nothing and to become more fully awake and recollected. These experiences will help you to make accurate decisions and to maintain your true life-direction.

All three expressions of Stopping—Stillpoints, Stopovers, and Grinding Halts—are designed specifically to help you keep one thing in mind: all you have is “now,” “then” is gone, and “when” is not yet and may never be. As the quote at the head of this chapter reminds us, this is not a dress rehearsal for your real life, which will happen sometime later when you are more prepared. You are not waiting for anything to begin; you are in the middle of it.