The Sacred Experiences of the Mundane Tasks of Life
The sacred experiences of the mundane tasks of life
The small things add up. These little things that we overlook on the day to day. Take a peek. Washing the dishes. Making your bed. Taking a shower. Brushing your teeth. And so on.All these small little responsibilities may seem different in action, but it’s how we approach them that matters. Are we just going through the emotions as our mind wanders when we do these small things? Are we truly moving with the seemingly mundane tasks that we tend to overlook? Think how you could improve on each of these small things. Maximize efficiency. Most of us would prefer to have a more efficient life. It just takes self awareness and the willingness to embrace the joy of mundanity.
“ So you had a long and tiring day? Imagine what a clean kitchen and made bed can do to your state of mind. It only took a few conscious minutes to set up to make your day. Make your bed and make your day.”
The devil is in the details, but the angel is in the awareness of these details.
Do you try to rush through the small things? Are you sloppy and careless or careful and methodical? There are so many similarities in how we approach the small things. There’s a dance and rhythm to it. There is a fluidity that we tend to ignore or overlook. One task flows into the next. There is an illusion of separateness. We may be able to look at them separately on the list, but in totality they are all part of the process and the vibe we are putting out into the world.
When something gets hard, have you tried just slowing it down?
Mundane tasks are what we make of them. We think that the small and “boring” things have no potential for growth or creativity. That can be problematic. Growth happens between the cracks. Think of the beautiful dandelions that can grow between the concrete. There is immense energy and beauty in these self projected mundane things.
If you are sloppy at washing dishes, it probably translates to other things that you do. What really is the difference between sitting down and meditating and let’s say.. brushing your teeth? In golf we are told that we must “be the ball”. In surfing we are told to ride the wave. If you come to a task with frustration and the want to just “get it done” then we miss the mark. We waste our potential to really BE with what we are DOING. What are we really doing when we are doing something? It’s not much of a silly question when you really take the time to digest it. The sacred exists within the process.
What’s the big picture?
Your attitude and disposition dictates how we do things. How many times have we mindlessly performed tasks? How many times have we misplaced objects in places that we live at and spend time in on the day to day? It’s amazing how we can just switch into autopilot. There is a difference between going into autopilot and consciously tweaking the efficiency of the way we do things.
Why keep sweating the small stuff and doing it the same way over and over. Why not make it better, quicker and more effective? Doing the same thing over and over is quite literally insanity.
The management of energy is the momentum generator. Use that energy. Whether it comes in a mood, feeling, emotion or inspiration. Give yourself the space to explore and for things to arise. Thinking too hard leads to road blocks and headaches. The mind works best when it’s not treated like a servant. And it for sure does not work the other way around.
When you are efficient, you free up time for more things that you enjoy doing. It may take time. It may take some conscious effort, but it the long run when momentum picks up it will surprise you how much time you "wasted" in the past.
Do you have your outfit picked out for tomorrow? Some of us just pick an outfit in our wardrobe and go. There is nothing wrong with this, but what if you were to set aside and outfit for the next day and have it ready? How would that affect the rest of your day or even week? How does it feel when you take the time to make your bed and come back to a made bed after a long day? Now you see it. The bigger picture. The conversation and negotiation with your inevitable future self. It’s the small things that add up. Each painting is compromised of small strokes that make up the whole presentation. You are alive !
There is a playfulness in dealing with our daily habits and activities. There’s are amazing things when you are present with what you are doing. How many times have you gotten a good idea from doing something that isn’t really explicitly creative? There is a synergetic relationship between creative work and non-creative work. The separation is what gets in the way. In totality it is all connected. Sometimes not thinking about a problem and doing something else will free up the mind to do it’s own thing. Most of the time the problem is us. We get in our own way.
If you are in a creative or problem solving rut, go consciously complete a task. See what happens. There is magic in that broom sweeping. There is mysticism in cleaning the counter tops. There is sacred energy in organizing those book shelves.
The interplay is the importance.
Do you have your outfit picked out for tomorrow? Some of us just pick an outfit in our wardrobe and go. There is nothing wrong with this, but what if you were to set aside and outfit for the next day and have it ready? How would that affect the rest of your day or even week? How does it feel when you take the time to make your bed and come back to a made bed after a long day? Now you see it. The bigger picture. The conversation and negotiation with your inevitable future self. It’s the small things that add up. Each painting is compromised of small strokes that make up the whole presentation. You are alive !
There is a playfulness in dealing with our daily habits and activities. There’s are amazing things when you are present with what you are doing. How many times have you gotten a good idea from doing something that isn’t really explicitly creative? There is a synergetic relationship between creative work and non-creative work. The separation is what gets in the way. In totality it is all connected. Sometimes not thinking about a problem and doing something else will free up the mind to do it’s own thing. Most of the time the problem is us. We get in our own way.
If you are in a creative or problem solving rut, go consciously complete a task. See what happens. There is magic in that broom sweeping. There is mysticism in cleaning the counter tops. There is sacred energy in organizing those book shelves.
The interplay is the importance.
You can complete a task list or dance through one.
The management of energy is the momentum generator. Use that energy. Whether it comes in a mood, feeling, emotion or inspiration. Give yourself the space to explore and for things to arise. Thinking too hard leads to road blocks and headaches. The mind works best when it’s not treated like a servant. And it for sure does not work the other way around.
If you're angry, use that energy.
If you are joyous, use that energy.
Act first and feel it out. Intuition is far too underrated . Sometimes too Much thinking will hinder us from acting out something effectively and efficiently. You will make mistakes. They are lessons. Think of these little mundane tasks in life as ripple effects or stones that you cast in a lake. Each ripple starts from the center and expands bigger. Something so small becomes bigger even in a much bigger body of water. How do you toss the rock? Do you try to skip or throw it as far as you can? How does it glide along the surface? How does it break the surface of the water?
Act first and feel it out. Intuition is far too underrated . Sometimes too Much thinking will hinder us from acting out something effectively and efficiently. You will make mistakes. They are lessons. Think of these little mundane tasks in life as ripple effects or stones that you cast in a lake. Each ripple starts from the center and expands bigger. Something so small becomes bigger even in a much bigger body of water. How do you toss the rock? Do you try to skip or throw it as far as you can? How does it glide along the surface? How does it break the surface of the water?
Attempting to do a trust fall may be scary, but it really takes that trust to put things into emotion. Surrender to that sacred trust. That instinctual yes to potential.
How you approach one small thing reflects on how you approach any of the “big” things. Really the big things are just a collection of small things. A process if you will. Sacred nature is ubiquitous. But if everything is sacred then is nothing sacred? Good question. It’s a matter of perspective. Why think of sacred nature as a false dichotomy. It’s what you make of it. When you define you limit. When you open up the possibilities on what can be sacred then you will see what is sacred right in front of you. If it works for you and expands your awareness, it just might be sacred enough to call it sacred.
“Baby, life’s what you make it.”- Mark Hollis
How you approach one small thing reflects on how you approach any of the “big” things. Really the big things are just a collection of small things. A process if you will. Sacred nature is ubiquitous. But if everything is sacred then is nothing sacred? Good question. It’s a matter of perspective. Why think of sacred nature as a false dichotomy. It’s what you make of it. When you define you limit. When you open up the possibilities on what can be sacred then you will see what is sacred right in front of you. If it works for you and expands your awareness, it just might be sacred enough to call it sacred.
“Baby, life’s what you make it.”- Mark Hollis
DG
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