Via Basel: Writer’s Pause
It has been awhile, over six weeks since my last post. I am caught between two forces: One, a sense of duty and commitment to keep writing regularly in EIL, as I have done over the last twelve years since the 1st anniversary of my son Chris’s loss. The second force, an opposite force, is one of procrastination and non-achievement. Just being and sensing without doing and writing.
Having just come back from a wonderful action-filled and satisfying trip to Morocco, the latter seemed to have the upper hand for a few days. I am cherishing the rest and quietness at home, after a week of rushing through airports and visiting palaces, dining in elaborate restaurants, and surviving late-night New Year’s parties, along with attending morning scientific lectures. The irony is that I actually gave a lecture myself on Mindfulness and encouraged the audience on being instead of doing. Now that I am back at home base I have a chance to practice what I preach. I am savoring every moment, hour, and day.
Sooner or later, in my case sooner, we revert back to doing not the essentials of living but the embellishments, for me, writing and preparing for the next presentation. In a way, that is my life and yours, a recurring cycle of doing and being, and the only control we have is how much to allocate to each one.
May you all have a well-balanced life.
Basel Al-Aswad, father of EIL founder Christopher Al-Aswad, is a yogi trapped in an Orthopedic Surgeon’s body. His loves in life include reading, writing, hiking, enjoying nature, meditation, and spending time with his large Iraqi family, and now, semi-retired, he is exploring new avenues in medicine, education, public speaking, teaching, and social engagement.
Basel pauses in the rocky Agafay Desert, Morocco, balancing his time in the lush Jardin Majorelle, above!
Thanks Basel. Being and doing, may you have the right balance in 2023.
With blessings and gratitude,
Joe