What to do, what to do

Ever been so lost in your thoughts that days seem to slip past without a sense of participation? I remember reading The Once and Future King (T.H. White) in high school and finding myself, at age 16, empathizing with King Arthur’s description to Merlyn of the spiral his thoughts would follow again and again.

Sometimes, we wear a path of worry and angst through our days. We let our minds tumble back to the same concerns, and before we know it, an hour has passed and we have spent it immobilized by scenarios that are none too light and far from certain. Remember what my grandmother said, “If you’re going to imagine something, let it be something pleasant!”

Other times, rather than paralysis brought on by fear of what may be, you may find yourselves overwhelmed by what is. We don’t like our situations. Sometimes, we don’t like ourselves. We feel powerless to bring about any change in our condition, the human condition the conditions that seem to be perpetuated by the likes of Rush Limbaugh and other really angry people with millions of followers. We are stuck…in a rut. Previously, I’ve suggested flying out of our ruts. Today, I want to think about baby stepping our way to higher ground.

Remember that the first step to practice peace is efficacy…you can achieve a desired result, even if it is as simple as getting out of bed or a bit bolder…like brewing a cup of tea.

Breaking the cycle of despair does take action. Breaking the cycle of weight gain does take exercise. Breaking the silence in an injured relationship does take communication. But we make it all far too complicated.

Rather than focusing on all that seems insurmountable, just do the things you can—you can give your stuff away to someone who needs it more; you can organize your office and clean your house to make a better space for yourself; you can quit waiting for the next great business opportunity and give your attention to all the little details that keep businesses afloat. The little leaks sink small boats as well as big ones, so do what it takes to be ship shape even if you’re in a paddle boat.

You know you need to exercise more to be healthy, but there’s no time to get to the gym with all this worrying you have on your agenda, and you would be more accountable if you had a trainer, but you have no income so you can’t afford that…good grief. Just move. Find a hill to climb, or go up and down your own stairs two at time (be sure to keep your knees above your feet so doing doesn’t lead to hyperextending!), dance around the house to a radio station you’ve never listened to before…Move!

And if you are in a relationship that has left you heart broken, say “I’m sorry.” Say it with all your heart, because if you’ve been hurt, chances are someone else is hurting too. It’s not a contest to see who hurt first or who’s been hurt longest. It’s time to heal the world in little ways so we can be better in big ways. Just say it…with all your heart.

And know when to do nothing. I always talk about planting seeds and growing goodness like gardening is an easy thing. It’s not. It is slow and tedious and full of bugs, drought, hard work and patience. Lots of patience. And doing too much in the garden is the kiss of death—too much fertilizer, too much water, too much “working” the soil while little seeds are trying to push through or tiny plants are establishing gentle roots. So know that there are times in life when the focus of your doing needs to shift. If you’re worried about your business, let your to-do list in your garage take precedence for a few days. The key to celebrating our efficacy is that there are many ways in which we are efficacious. So go celebrate all of you by doing something you haven’t done in awhile. Today, I will move away from my computer and all forms of social media that have absorbed me lately. I will clean my desk and work on the little boat of mine for 30 minutes. Then, I will iron. I will clean my closet and I will give away some stuff. I can do that.

0 comments 0 people listening

Sign in

• Comment help
• Get Livefyre

Post comment as

+ Follow conversation Following - Unfollow

Post to

Sort: Newest | Oldest