WHY?
This morning, as I sat to meditate, I realized that there was a gaggle of thoughts chaotically flying hither and tither (I just made that up I think) around my brain. Though I didn’t know where to start, I put the pen to the page of my journal and this is what came out: “What will I do to practice what I preach today?”
I began what seemed to be a To Do list, which I didn’t want it to be, so after the first entry “Go meet B.C. to work on the walkway.”, I added “-I will get involved with this project.”
Next I wrote: “I will plan dinner of Ham, garlic mashed potatoes with chick peas and steamed green beans.” Which I followed with “- I will show my family that I care about their health and provide a flavorful meal.”
I continued: "I will work on clearing up that pile of wood and branches behind the grape arbor - I commit time to making our house more beautiful and show that I care about the home our family makes here."
I added another 3 or 4 entries and realized that my list of “chores” (Ugh! that word!), was given new meaning when I added ‘why’ I was doing it. The ‘what’ is often perceived as the bothersome part of the day, but by adding the ‘why’ I not only gained a little perspective but I also became aware that I was doing something which had specific value. I went from feeling that my day was going to be one filled with drudgery to one of honest, valuable accomplishment. And it wasn’t even a reframing or justification. It was a different perspective based on who I am and what I value for my family, community, health and home.
I know many people keep a date book or Palm Pilot (do they still make those or am I showing my lack of technological advancement?), I am curious: if we took a few days, let’s say 3, and after putting in the Whats of the day added the Why, how much differently would we look at our list? What sorts of feelings would we come up with? And how differently would we approach and execute our tasks? Drop an email and let me know your thoughts ~
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