A Spoonful of Sugar
‘In every job that must be done there is an element of fun. You find the fun and snap! The job’s a game.’
Mary Poppins
Imagine two scenarios:
A) You are standing in a messy kitchen looking at a huge pile of greasy washing up in the sink.
B) You are standing in your swimsuit on a hot day, looking at a white sand beach with clear turquoise water.
Both of these moments are a crossroads, just like every moment. Do you turn and embrace what that moment is offering you or do you turn away and find ways to resist it?
It’s understandable that B is easier to embrace… but why? They are both moments of being alive in this amazing physical reality. Could we find ways to embrace all the A moments in life?
I know from experience that I have had blissful moments washing up, because I was awake, and miserable moments in beautiful surroundings, because I was lost in suffering and my own little story.
As humans we categorise things. Good? Bad? Fun? Boring? Lucky? Unlucky? From a limited perspective we decide what our experience of something will be and then believe in that label.
It’s safe to say that whether ‘enlightenment’ occurs or not, there will still be washing up, traffic jams, packing and visits to the dentist. So I think it’s a good idea to start to enjoy all these ‘chores’ that life offers us.
Mary Poppins
Imagine two scenarios:
A) You are standing in a messy kitchen looking at a huge pile of greasy washing up in the sink.
B) You are standing in your swimsuit on a hot day, looking at a white sand beach with clear turquoise water.
Both of these moments are a crossroads, just like every moment. Do you turn and embrace what that moment is offering you or do you turn away and find ways to resist it?
It’s understandable that B is easier to embrace… but why? They are both moments of being alive in this amazing physical reality. Could we find ways to embrace all the A moments in life?
I know from experience that I have had blissful moments washing up, because I was awake, and miserable moments in beautiful surroundings, because I was lost in suffering and my own little story.
As humans we categorise things. Good? Bad? Fun? Boring? Lucky? Unlucky? From a limited perspective we decide what our experience of something will be and then believe in that label.
It’s safe to say that whether ‘enlightenment’ occurs or not, there will still be washing up, traffic jams, packing and visits to the dentist. So I think it’s a good idea to start to enjoy all these ‘chores’ that life offers us.
It’s not difficult at all. It just takes a choice – am I going to make the effort to enjoy this? You can listen to your favourite music. Maybe set yourself little targets (‘by the end of this song I will have totally cleared this table’ and so on). I sometimes split a task into ten sections so it feels little I’ve achieved something every couple of minutes.
If you find yourself waiting for something, in traffic or in a queue, can you amuse yourself by setting yourself a little challenge (can I see ten beautiful things around me before the traffic starts to move?) or just remind yourself this is a good opportunity for a mini-meditation?
Not only are you enjoying life more but you are also exercising that capacity to embrace the present moment regardless of the circumstances. It can then become habituated so that you find that there are no chores, that the experience of being alive within this world, feeling the movements and the sensations is a joy in itself. It’s like a computer game and it’s like we are faced with hundreds of different ‘levels’ to complete each day. Don’t stress about them – it’s only a game!
If you find yourself waiting for something, in traffic or in a queue, can you amuse yourself by setting yourself a little challenge (can I see ten beautiful things around me before the traffic starts to move?) or just remind yourself this is a good opportunity for a mini-meditation?
Not only are you enjoying life more but you are also exercising that capacity to embrace the present moment regardless of the circumstances. It can then become habituated so that you find that there are no chores, that the experience of being alive within this world, feeling the movements and the sensations is a joy in itself. It’s like a computer game and it’s like we are faced with hundreds of different ‘levels’ to complete each day. Don’t stress about them – it’s only a game!
