You have power over your mind —
not outside events.
Realize this, and you will find strength.
―Marcus Aurelius (Roman emperor from 161 to 180CE)

I’m returning from sabbatical this week. It has been an amazing five months (thank you so much, UUFSCC!!). I used some of my sabbatical to ponder deeply what it means and what it takes to live a meaningful life. The luxury of time to dig deeply into this was a blessing.
During my sabbatical I was able to spend time reading articles and researching subjects in depth not usually available to me. One subject was the Stoics—a philosophical movement of the Hellenistic period (from about 300BCE to 300CE). Stoicism declined after the rise of Christianity in the 4th century but has had revivals during the Renaissance and recently. The Stoics had views on many aspects of life—my focus has been on their views on ethics and how to lead a good, meaningful life.
Here are a few of the stoic philosophy’s “jewels” that resonated for me:

• The world and personal life events can be overwhelming. The activities and busyness of life can be totally consuming. Yet—there are only two things you control in your life: your thoughts & your actions. Epictetus said it this way: “”We cannot choose our external circumstances, but we can always choose how we respond to them.”
• Everything that happens is a gift. This needs unpacking and I’ll do some of that in future sermons.
• Don’t waste your days. Your time is a non-renewable resource (when it’s gone, it’s gone). Again, this warrants more than a cliché reference and I plan to do that in our future services.

Having time to pursue so many issues and activities for the last 5 months has been a luxury. Now it is back to emails, working on obligations, catching up, and identifying my priorities. But it feels more balanced, more in harmony, and more meaningful. Moments of mini-reflections are occurring during my day. I hope they persist.
For me it is not about trying to do more nor is it about trying to do less. It is about balance in how we choose to spend our time—our life. It is about spending time on those things that are meaningful/important AND avoiding being overwhelmed by events that we cannot control.

I’ll close with a quote from Marcus Aurelius (who sounds like a UU to me):
“Think of your many years of procrastination; how the gods have repeatedly granted you further periods of grace, of which you have taken no advantage. It is time now to realize the nature of the universe to which you belong, and of that controlling Power whose offspring you are; and to understand that your time has a limit set to it. Use it, then, to advance your enlightenment; or it will be gone, and never in your power again.” ― Marcus Aurelius, Meditations (Book 2, Passage 4)

It is so good to be back. ………………yours in shared ministry………..Rev Russ