As I settled into a staycation last week with the idea of being aimless, I observed that everything started with Easter week-end and it was busy. Loose ends to tie up in business, my famous coffee cake to provide one day, and the whole shebang dinner to produce on the next.
Monday came and I settled into a good book and let the day flow with the usual activities, yoga, dog-walking, a little tidying. Same with the second. By Wednesday a long list of possible activities was narrowed down to spring cleaning and taxes.
And I thought, I have these two important, if not urgent priorities, how is this aimless?
What was clear was that exploring the concept created a certain mindset- it was ok if nothing more was accomplished than these two things. I even embraced the possibility that neither of these tasks would be completely finished.
However, the little task of writing this newsletter did not get taken care of in advance. As I considered what to say to you the thought surfaced that the routine of writing each week made me think about life challenges, such as being aimless with a to-do list fourteen tasks long.
The monks life is where the concept originated and whatever their denomination, life was not only spiritual contemplation. They have a very disciplined routine, starting with prayer and meditation, then reading, followed with a meal and cleaning up. There would be life’s tasks, for instance gardening and bee keeping.
Aha! Aimlessness must be built on the foundation of routine!
All of life’s requirements sorted, delegated, and being performed with regularity. There’s no decisions to make about the necessary tasks and so no mental expenditure.
This leaves you free to spend your energy thinking about the nature of existence and with time to be aimless.
A worm’s life is spent doing the things that a worm must. A human’s life is also spent that way, although it may seem like doing taxes is on another level, whether you do it yourself or hire someone else. As part of society this adding up of income and expenses, calculating what we owe according to our particular situation is a human doing what we must.
These conclusions lead me to renew the effort to create more daily routines which take care of daily life necessities leaving room for spiritual growth and renewal.
I have more motivation now to take care of bookkeeping monthly, instead of leaving it until April!
Yoga is a routine that enriches life not just by maintaining the body, but by freeing the mind from habitual thoughts and helping the heart to rest easy. It gives us the opportunity to consider our inner connection to the infinite, and the peace that brings.
Join us for the Spring Yoga Therapy Session this Week.
I’ve made extra space in my schedule to chat with you about what you are looking for and to find the program which fits your needs.