Refresh: More Than An Update

Of course, it’s obvious to correlate Refresh in technical terms to the importance of taking vacations.  Getting away and recharging our batteries have been proven vital to health and well-being.  The compelling statistics can be found on the Readme page.  But there’s more. 

With regards to tech terms, the Refresh command appears simple and the action is usually carried out without much attention.  Web browsers include a Refresh command to make sure dynamic Web pages can be updated every few seconds.  Stock quotes and recently published Web pages are important.  We rely on having the latest information.  

Refresh can also provide more than an update.  It can provide a reading or a “pulse to the present.”   It can be a reorientation that enhances clarity and makes action more effective. Here’s my experience. 

I Refresh (mentally, emotionally, physically, spiritually) several times a day – update what I am thinking and experiencing in the moment.  What’s the most current information (i.e., emotion, thought, idea, insight)?  Any concerns or considerations that I’m not immediately experiencing fall from focus, or should.  No need to keep them on my “desktop.”  An example might be a financial concern.  Instead of letting a possible future situation cloud my present experience, it is recognized for what it is (a possible future experience, not an actuality) and filed away.  At
the present moment everything is fine – I’m not hungry, without a home, or filing for bankruptcy.  A past experience can distort the present-moment picture, as well.  The key is to Refresh to the most current information, take an assessment, and then consider the peripheral information if it’s pressing.  A better decision can be made, or action taken when distorting, fearful, stagnating or exaggerating factors are sidelined.  I've found this technique extremely helpful in my work.  It has helped me realize that I may be mentally tired and need to take a break, rather than pushing to get a project accomplished.  And in my personal life,  as I examine relationships and realize an emotion has changed or expanded to a greater understanding.  It sounds simple, but the realization can be significant. 

Many times we let patterned perceptions override actual current information.  Experience often gives way to understanding, which changes an outlook.  This is a simple example, but think of the injustices you might have felt  as a child growing up and now in retrospect understand situations differently.  There are numerous circumstances that are not reconsidered and outdated viewpoints are held firmly in place. They can appear camouflaged and almost hidden from view. Unlike the tech term, personal Refreshing requires acute attention and discernment.  Routinely experienced, Refreshing can be a powerful method to affect change.  

Now, consider a true vacation. Think of having the time, ample time to update and reorient to more than data – to meaningful memories, cherished dreams, grand ideas, and to those you love.