Now, Then, Later

Ask yourself this:  What is it that I’m trying to do?

There are so many facets to our lives, each clamoring for the lion’s share of our attention.   While working on one task our minds are already surging ahead to the next job.  While painting the bedroom we are thinking about what color we should paint the hallway.  At work, one project is barely begun before you begin prepping for the next.  Breakfast dishes are hardly cleared before thoughts of what to have for lunch appear.

Let’s alter the original question a bit:  What is it that I’m trying to do NOW?   I am trying to get this room painted.  So paint!  It’s okay to buy the hall paint while you’re in Home Depot, but while you are painting the bedroom, paint the bedroom.  Pay attention to the bedroom.  Do a good job.  Listen to music. Enjoy yourself.

Don’t let your body complete one task while your mind is two hours/days/weeks ahead performing the next task.  Pull yourself together! Don’t lose today in thinking about tomorrow.

What am I trying to do now?  I’m trying to live my life with awareness.  I’m trying to do what I love with enthusiasm and do unpleasant tasks with grace.  I’m trying to take care of today.  Some days it works, some days I’m still working on it!  What are you trying to do now?

Is it a 4-Letter Word?

There is a Chinese tale about an old Zen Master who works diligently in the monastery garden every day.  The young monks think he should take it easy, relax.  They know he won’t listen to them, so they hide his tools.  The next day, and the next and the next, the old teacher does not eat.  They young monks think, he is angry with us.  We better return his tools.  That day, the teacher works and eats as usual.  That night he tells his students, No work, no food.

The Zen Master knows that we must each contribute as much as we consume.  We give so we can take.  We grow so we can eat.  We clean so we can stay healthy.  Some of us resent all the time it takes away from more interesting pursuits.  Me, I’d rather be reading or practicing yoga.  Maybe you like to watch TV more than you enjoy vacuuming.  But let’s try to put WORK into perspective this week, and see that it is not just another four-letter word.

Turn on your awareness, and watch those you come in contact with this week.  See how they interact with their work, and try to find someone for whom work seems more like play.  In fact, I bet there are some aspects of work that you enjoy, so be on the lookout for that, too.  Then think about it (dare I say, meditate on it!).  Why do you resent vacuuming when it leaves you with a pleasantly clean floor.  Hey, maybe you should meditate on it while you’re vacuuming.  Perhaps next time you are writing that report at the office you can put a Buddha smile on your face and see if your attitude changes.  You get my drift.  Work with the awareness that you will get back what you give out. 

For more Zen Stories, check out www.101zenstories.com

Tick-Tock

Everyone agrees there is not enough time in a day to do all the things we "need" to do; but twenty-four is all we get.  Next time you are pressed for time, try to step back and assess what it is you are trying to accomplish.  It is true that some days you truly could use some extra time.  Most days, though, the time crunch is self-inflicted.

Take a look at all you plan to accomplish today.  Some responsibilities are non-negotiable so put them at the top of your list.  Next, add a few minutes of breathing space for a walk or a meditation or a yoga class.  After that, finish the rest of your agenda with a smile in your heart.  If the extras you do during the day are only making you cranky, skip them.  If you love to keep busy, then follow that instinct.

Twenty-four hours is plenty.