turtle winning the race against a rabbit
In this rush, rush rush world where we are driven my materialism, multi-tasking seems an absolute requirement. Trying to keep up with the madness, I have lost the art of taking time to myself to think, be creative, and dream.
Maybe the New Year is the perfect time to fall in love with the process and give up on the “end-game fantasy”. No big “pie in the sky” resolutions for me this year. Only one: to slow down – to sip life instead of gulping it down. Maybe if I can tame that crazy little drunk monkey living in my head, I can focus on the small and doable and watch for a gradual transformation rather than the radical “change your life in one week” lost causes.
Today I opened a file on my desk top which read “change your life in one month”. It filled me with compassion for my old self who thought she could lose 10 pounds in a week and clear the house of all clutter in a day. Not only did such drivel heap more stress onto my plate, but I realized the folly of “getting everything done” in this lifetime. It’s just not going to happen and what would there be left to do?
As they says Slow and steady wins the race and as we age, life often feels like a race against time where the finish line is unclear. We would be better served to live in day-tight compartments where we stop obsessing over the failures of yesterday and fear of tomorrow.
Every day can be a glorious canvas painted by the hand of God if we can simply slow down and appreciate what we already are with what we already have. If we’re like most people we’re starving – not for food, but attention – our own attention.
And here’s the take away from my New Year ruminations. I have typed on a piece of paper and glued to my mirror the following reminder: “Making a little corner better is the most valuable thing you can do today!” I think that will be my theme for 2017.
Okay. So the corner I chose for today is to clean up my spackling table – so named by my contractor who built it into a corner of my walk-in closet. It is dedicated to “spackling” my face each morning and it’s a disaster. Currently it is littered by 13 lipsticks (tops long gone), and stained with spilled powders. My mirror hasn’t seen Windex in months.
And why do I have four hairbrushes and at present no hair to brush – haven’t really had any hair to speak of in three years of chemotherapy! Ditto for eyelash curler and mascara. Into a box it all goes and I will take out only what I actually use. The rest will sit in the box until I can muster up the courage to throw it into the trash.
Okay I’m starting at the furtherest corner of my home and the one no one ever sees. But somehow I sense it will set the groundwork for moving on to other more visible corners and eventually when spring comes – the garden.
This is going to be a great year with no lofty rules to try to keep. No guilt when I blow them off. Remember, a corner today, the world tomorrow.
This said, I have one more theme for 2017 – “Live Like a French Woman” who saunters through her days turning her imperfections into an art. I’ve been learning French and playing French Bistro music all day long. Maybe I’ll tell you about that tomorrow. In the meantime “Eclate Toi mon ami.” (Have fun my friend.).
following your ‘ sage’ advice………I am in my recliner, eating brownie brittle and sipping a big cup of salted caramel cocoa/with marshmellow……..ahhhhhhh……you are so wise…………………..ma
Sounds like heaven to me Mary Ann. Gotta eat up all the sweets before midnight on dec. 31! Right? Happy new year!
One of your best ever! We all have the corners we can make better. Happy New Year, dear friend.
Off to find a corner to work on! Love everything you write…you must be looking over my shoulder all the time!