Withdrawing Into The Tao

Yesterday was a very long day at work. This is the time of the year that we do performance evaluations. To say nothing of the fact that I dislike this part of my job, the process we use is overly complicated, convoluted, and often illogical. It's a yearly rite of passage that we must all tolerate to prove our worth.

I don't have much on my mind today so lets turn to the Tao for some inspiration.

Activity is essential but exhausting, it's importance is only on the surface. Withdraw into Tao at the end of the day. Returning is renewal.

My favorite times of the day are early morning and the early evening. I actually like late night, too, but I am often too tired to enjoy it plus late night is quickly followed by early morning. That's not too bad on a weekend but it's tough on a workday. Although I have proclaimed many times that I hate getting out of bed, I very much enjoy the 20 minutes or so that I sit in silence with my morning coffee before leaving my home for work. I am awake and present to the moment. It is the most peaceful time of my day. Once I leave home I am quickly pulled into the speed of the morning commute and the busyness of the workday. On a typical workday I have many tasks as well as the demands of managing a group of people. Even on the most pleasant days I am weary by the end of the day when I begin the process of "withdrawing into Tao". After picking up my wife at her office and surviving the evening commute, I yearn for solitude and the comfort of my chair. Each night I feel I have gone around the full circle of my day. Although I am weary, returning to where my day began is the beginning of renewal. As the evening progresses and my body and mind unwind, I can almost feel the inner healing. Tranquility returns and I am at peace. Of course, even though the middle part of my day is usually busy and demanding, if not frantic, I try to carry the Tao with me always. In the midst of activity I strive to maintain some sense of being in the eye of a hurricane.