Day 14
Very often, when I’m driving or jogging, or doing anything that requires me to simply be on automatic pilot, I start thinking about everything I have to do in my day. Now, I’m not the only one with obligations, those darn “have to’s”. Most of us spend the greater part of our lives doing things that we simply did not choose to do.
Every day, I have to wake up early to bring my kids to school. I despise waking up early! I have to prepare my children a balanced lunch so that I can feel good about my motherly abilities. I have to shower, get ready and go to work myself. At work, I obviously have to teach, which I love, but, because I’m in charge of the English department, I also have to do paper work. I HATE paper work. After work, I have to go and pick up my kids from school. Then, I have to make sure they do their homework, take a bath and go to bed before 8:30pm, so they’re not cranky and unbearable the next day! In between all of that, I have to make dinner and clean up the mess so that my house doesn’t look like a pigsty. I also have to do laundry, clean my house, do groceries, bring my kids to their zillion activities. God, I’m getting bored just writing everything I have to do… I bet you’re also getting bored reading me! Thank god I have a great husband who shares all these chores with me….
But still, if I am miserable when I’m meeting my obligations, I’ll be spending 95 % of my waken life frustrated and irritated! We can’t only be waiting impatiently for the next holiday, the next party or the next exciting dinner invitation to enjoy life! We have to make a point of turning dutiful tasks into pleasurable events! But how can we do that? How can we positively influence our state of mind? By putting on Aretha Franklin’s ‘Respect’ and singing it from the top of our lungs while cooking? By interrupting our house cleaning every five minutes to perform a Liza Minelli tap dancing move? By smiling while folding clothes until we start feeling the joy in our gut? Maybe! Really, when you think about it, all we need to do is to BE and LIVE in the present moment. And if living in the present means doing cart wheels to get from the living room to the bedroom or having a candle light breakfast while listening to Luciano Pavarotti, then be it!
1 comment:
I can't wait to see those cartwheels Alina! I'm sure they will give me a moment of true happiness. Cela dit, I totally agree with you, but boy is it ever hard to live in the moment when the clock is always ticking.
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