Zen It

Zen It

I had a curious experience this week. Between the snowing and the melting, I had a nice two inch layer of ice on the sixty or so feet of sidewalk in front of my home. Now, I like to walk, but not so much on lumpy, slick ice, so I started to chop. What a set of lessons I got from that.

Lesson one:  Chopping the ice on your sidewalk is seen as a civic service, and pedestrians are vocal in their appreciation.

Lesson two:  Chopping with a relaxed body, and relaxed arms, is effective, and way less tiring than pounding. The weight of the chopper and my arm worked with gravity to chop effectively. I wish I had figured that out on the first chunk of sidewalk that I chopped.

Lesson three: Chopping is a fine opportunity for Zen meditation. Emptying the mind while chopping in a state of relaxation was amazing, fun, and I was fine the next morning, no stiffness or soreness.

We all have stuff we have to do. Some of it we enjoy doing, some of it we don’t so much. Enjoyment isn’t inherent in a task. Tedium or heinousness also are not inherent in a task.

Once we accept that our sense of delight or downer comes from inside us, from our notions and judgments, we can turn any task we do into something positive, and even find ways to enjoy it.

I don’t know about you, but I would way rather like what I’m doing than not.

When I hate what I’m doing, I don’t care very much about how I do it, and I often find that I make mistakes, or I’m sloppy with my work. Sometimes that doesn’t matter so much, but sometimes it can matter quite a bit.

When I hate what I’m doing, I often find that I resent the task-giver for the assignment. I bet you can see where this is headed; right into the misery room. It was great when I was committed to misery, but now, with my commitment to a natural, joyous life, I’m ready to change it. That means I am in charge of how I feel, in charge of how I choose to view the world. In charge of me.

I know that some of us are pissed right now. We prefer to believe that suffering is the human condition, that we have no choice about how we feel. We prefer the idea that misery is thrust upon us by thoughtless, or cruel people. We would rather be victims than adults.

We really need to get over it.

When I let go of the idea that you are doing something to me, that I am responsible for my response (see where the word comes from?) I take my personal power. When I choose how I will respond it doesn’t matter what I’m doing. I can be living a lovely, comfy life in a little house with a white picket fence and 2.5 happy children, or sitting in a dank cell, held for reasons I may not even know, and I still can choose how I feel. The person in the sweet home can be miserable and feel trapped, the person in the cell can feel free and happy. Extreme examples, yes, but they make the point.

What makes me choose my responses to my life?

(c) Pam Guthrie 2013 all rights reserved 02242013

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