Natural Time

In Nia one of the principles we are taught is natural time. We live most of our lives through mechanical time, a clock and a calendar dictates most of our activities. When we get up, go to work, meet a friend, eat, sleep and so on according to our schedules.

Natural time is a very different way of experiencing the world, moving in time according to natural cues. Sleep when you are tired, eat when you are hungry, eat what's in season, and in Nia, move your body through space in an organic way... listen to your body's cues instead of the count.

How does this apply to adoption? As I see it, in the adoption journey "time" is a concept that is at the forefront and it strikes me that maybe the lessons of natural time could be a useful tool. The dizzying amount of paperwork, classes, meetings and contracts are all on a very precise and mechanical schedule and often we are busting our butts to beat the clock. What happens once the cheque is the mail or the phone hung up after hours on hold? After the flurry there seems to be an inevitible quiet when all you can do is done and what's left is what many of us dread more then the heaps of paper and postage, it's the wait.

The wait can be the hardest part. Nothing to report, nothing to file, nothing to report. So we calculate what can't be calculated. Start all the what if's? For me it goes something like this. So my paperwork gets there on this date and let's say it takes 5 months to be chosen for a referral... that would put my first trip in June... Hmm I wonder what the flight prices are like in June...on to the internet I go.... oh but I have a big work thing in June and that overtime would be really helpful so July would be better.... Russia in July.... ok let's check the temps in the Region.... back to the web..... Damn, I see that it's more likely that my first trip will be 6 months because I've asked for a girl.... that makes it July/August for first trip then October for the second... that's my heavy season at work... I can't do that.... how will I do that? Crap, they'll have to replace me during peak season and everyone will hate me and..... I think you get the picture. I am using a fake mechanical time frame to determine something that is going to happen in natural time.

When the time is right, when the stars align, when the Universe makes the match, then I will receive the call and only then I can spring into action. Until that fateful moment I am going to try really really hard to take off my watch, look to the light and recommit to fully surrendering to this journey.