How do you recharge yourself after a stressful day at work?
I used to answer that question by saying I go running or I go cycling. I also love massages and reflexology. In one high stress job I got a pedicure every 4 weeks. But in thinking about it that is how I got rid of negative energy which is different than how I take on positive energy. There is a distinction between the two and we need understand that.
So how do I recharge? Well sometimes it is through cycling – I ride out in scenic areas and explore. I don’t care about how fast I am going or if I am climbing enough hills. It is a very different experience than cranking away hard and fast.
I also work around my house – my house was a bit of a fixer upper when I bought it. While the inside is almost fully renovated the outside landscaping needs constant attention so I can always go out there and “play”. I walk in the mornings checking plants to see where the irrigation needs adjustment and to see which plants the bunnies, chipmunks and jhavelina made a meal of. As I walk around I am joined by the hummingbirds who literally chat in your ear. I also have hawks nesting nearby who swoop down to see what critters I send scurrying as I walk around. It’s really cool to see them up close. There is also the roadrunner who perches in the trees and is very noisy in his mating calls. But by the birdfeeder amongst the doves, finches and quail, I also get the brightest reddest cardinals I have ever seen. And just as I am writing this my dog lets me know the coyotes are sauntering across the driveway to return to their daytime resting area. But the best part is that every night I have that perfect expansive view of the desert sunset which when I am home I always take a moment to enjoy. I think all of this is pretty cool and it recharges me.
Even though I enjoy the beauty of many landscapes, I love living in the desert where I can see mountains in every direction. Some people enjoy the ocean or the lake. For others it is the vast plains of the Midwest. What is important is that we recharge ourselves and where we recharge ourselves from.
We shouldn’t look to other people to recharge us – we should not take their energy and use it for ourselves. Unfortunately this is often the case in the male-dominated workplace. We go to work and instead of being energized we become depleted. And while we go home and rest and attempt to de-stress, we don’t always recharge. And it is important that every woman who works in the male-dominated workplace finds her way to draw energy from the infinite supply of the earth’s energy.
The earth is our energy source. Connecting with the earth was an essential part of spirituality in many ancient and Indigenous cultures. Native American cultures believe in Mother Earth and Father Sky but western culture through its separation of science and spirituality has estranged most of us from our spiritual connection to the earth. The earth has become merely an object that is to be used for our own purposes. We no longer consider earth as a living entity so we don’t see it as having energy. We have forgotten that Mother Earth provides us with everything we need and nurtures every level of our human existence. And as a result we believe we have to pull energy from each other instead of the world around us.
This may sound truly corny but whenever I think of this subject I am reminded of the opening scene in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music. We all know the feeling we feel when we watch this scene and listen to the music and we know this is why the movie touches us so much. The symbolism in this scene captures a woman completely connected to herself and the world. Watch the clip, look at the scenes and listen to the lyrics.
Julie Andrews comes into the scene opens her arms and twirls – she is connecting with the universe – she is both taking in the energy of the hills and sharing her energy. This is what women do. When we are happy we throw open our arms and let our positive energy radiate out. For as much as feminism wants to put down the concepts of True Womanhood, they had it right – women shine bright light out into the world! And we have the power to recharge that light as often as we need.
When Julie is done connecting with the universe she then puts her hands in her pockets symbolizing that her energy is fully replenished.
“The hills are alive with the sound of music with songs they have sung for a thousand years. The hills fill my heart with the sound of music. My heart wants to sing every song it hears.” It is the hills (nature/universe) that fills her heart with the positive energy that she in return wants to express without limit or boundaries. It is through women that the universe shares and spreads its positive energy.
“My heart wants to beat like the wings of the birds that rise from the lake to the trees.” Women have the power of making connections and become part of the nature/the universe. It is through our need to connect that we rise up.
“My heart wants to sigh like a chime that flies from a church on a breeze.” She wants to say what is in her heart but she doesn’t need to be loud or forceful. When speaks from her heart the message is naturally carried and spread.
“To laugh like a brook when it trips and falls over stones on its way.” We will have trips and falls as we journey through life but we laugh at them and don’t let them stop us. We just keep flowing and bubbling along on our journey.
“To sing through the night like a lark who is learning to pray.” We don’t give power to fear but learn to ask for strength.
“I go to the hills when my heart is lonely. I know I will hear what I’ve heard before. My heart will be blessed with the sound of music and I’ll sing once more.” It is from our natural connection to the hills and nature that we find our strength and replenish our energy. We don’t get it from men or even other people. When women connect one-on-one with the universe, the universe will give us what we need.
So next time you are feeling depleted, play this. Oh what the heck – play it loud, twirl and sing!
Empowered Women Re-Energize Themselves
