In this season of midterms and counting down to spring break and the general busyness of Yale life, I have found myself searching for moments of stillness. So instead of refraining from a habit or indulgence during the season of Lent, I took the approach of adding something to my routine. In an effort to be more present I set a goal to take a brief pause each day for gratitude, for meditation about a quote or verse, or just quietly being. Admittedly, I have not had much success. My attempt at scheduling downtime went awry, the daily ten minutes of quiet quickly filled by more immediate needs like answering an email or going to retrieve a forgotten charger. Yet, even as planned stillness evades me, I have been more aware of unplanned moments of gratitude in the motion and chaos of my week. I welcomed the sunlight shining in my window yesterday morning as an invitation to experience beauty and warmth. I welcomed the sound of laughter from my common room as an invitation to step away from my desk, with my list of tasks organized down to the half hour, to appreciate the spontaneous moment of community-building.
When we fall short of the goals we set, when time and tasks get away from us, remember that there are always opportunities to get back on track and try again the next day. In the meantime, we can take notice of the unscheduled joy all around us.