Certain situations can cause us to want to check out of life. We lose our motivation to strive for a better life. Our will to do almost anything dwindles to near nothingness. Sometimes we raise our hands to life and proclaim defeat. We no longer want to play the game of life. There seems to be no point to anything anymore. At this point we find ourselves just existing. Some may even call this state of existence and transformation the dark night of the soul.
To simply exist for a while is healing. During this period of time, we are allowing ourselves to process and heal. We may grieve certain aspects of the past. Allowing ourselves time and space to reflect on what once was. This grants us the opportunity to heal any wounds from long ago and to lay to rest parts of our past that we no longer need to carry with us into our future. The down time of simply existing is a ticket or hallway pass to take it easier on ourselves. Perhaps we sleep in, nurture our physical self more, take long showers or baths, and simply process our feelings and thoughts. In essence, we have turned off the engine of our reality and are sitting and observing life from a much calmer vantage point.
Although it is important for us to process and heal from our past, we should not expect to stay in that lull for too long. There reaches a point that we need to take ownership of our present life and turn our engine back on. To do this, we must find the strength and courage to refocus our attention on what is currently happening in our life. We can casually observe the people who we have chosen to keep in our life. Being aware of how far we have come and imagining where we wish to go from here. To explore the possibilities on the horizon requires us to take steps, large or small, now in our present life to get closer to those aspirations. What experiences have we already had, and what experiences do we wish to have now and in the future? Although our engine of our reality has been turned back on, we are still stationary during this period of contemplation. We are simply thinking about our current state, and what action steps are needed to move ahead toward the destination of our choosing. The key is to choose a destination. For that we can take time to ponder what our next target could and should be. This is the idle phase of life.
Eventually, we will decide on a new destination or goal. A plan of action will also have been conceived during the idle phase. The time has come to clock back into life. When we clock back into something, we are committing to putting forth effort and time (of our temporary life) to experience something or to achieve a certain outcome. Clocking back into life requires us to put ourselves in drive mode and accelerate our being to move ahead. We are re-engaging with the pros and cons of life. We are aware that we may encounter certain challenges again, but we’ve committed to striving toward our chosen goal, whatever that goal may be. For everyone, the path forward looks quite different. We don’t all have the same goals and aspirations. Each of us chooses different experiences in life.
There is a time where we must allow ourselves to turn off our engine and reflect. This generally transitions to the next phase where we’ve cleaned up and organized our inner self as much as we care to, and we start to focus our attention on where we find ourselves in the present moment. What our life is today. Being the humans that we are, generally we are compelled to get our engine started again so that we can continue to experience and explore in this life. We come out of existence and idle mode and begin to check back into life. A type of clocking back into life so to speak. With our engines of reality back on and the momentum casually increasing, we are now headed into the future. This future has many unknowns to it. There will be mesmerizing moments and difficult portions on the path ahead. For every problem there is some sort of solution, thus we can proceed ahead with confidence.
If you find that you have fallen into existence mode or are somewhere in the idle phase, reassure yourself that all is well. It is perfectly ok to be in these states of being. With time you will make your way to the point of turning your engine of reality back on. No need to rush any part of the existence or idle phase. Allow each state to be as long or short as it needs to be. Once your engine gets turned back on, and you are able to clock back into life, you will be able to proceed to new adventures and experiences. Be sure to explore and input into your very being all that you are currently sensing and learning. These are valuable lessons. The path toward your desired destination or goal is worth experiencing, so take in the actuality that is all around you as you go along. Life will continue to unfold for you, cherish it.