The Simple Art of Putting Things Back Where They "Belong"

The Simple Art of Putting Things Back Where They Belong

The dishtowel lays unfolded and in a weird post-modern like sculptural from on the kitchen counter. You just used it to wipe the egg white mess from the counter. Cracking eggs isn't your forte and you were too particularly hungry and in a hasty mood to bother with the pristine care of egg shells and its gooey byproduct. After reaching for the cleaning product underneath the sink, you sprayed it on the dishtowel and did a couple of intentional wipes on the surface. Tada!  No more egg mess on the counter. You quickly return the cleaning product to the bottom kitchen cabinet and move back into the living room where you left a couple books, magazines and pens scattered on the coffee table.

What happened? Oh, you forgot about the dishtowel. Funny how we can get so caught up in the moment and routine that we can put things back where they belong, but also neglect things that should go back to where you got them from. Funny how we can be so unconscious of the simple things and act out disorder with the way we treat objects in the material realm of life. It is a reflection on how we view ourselves in a sense. It is a mirroring of our own consciousness.

The compulsory nature of thought can lead us to leave dirty socks and underwear in our own minds. When we get caught up in the Thought Psychosis and whirl wind or unconscious behaviors, we tend to lose the presence and ATTENTION to what we are actually doing. There is a direct thread with the dirty thought socks and the actual socks we leave lying about along the floors of our bedrooms and living rooms. The inner is indeed are reflection of the outer. So what to do? We can observe these scattered thoughts and notice how they arise. Easier said than done right? I could go into a trite and cliche' description on how "mindfulness" might make us organize our thoughts and environments, but I think that would diminish and ultimately distract from the actual RELATIONSHIP we must develop to the workings of our mind and the environment around us.
// No Buzz Word Zone //

What happens when we start with these small things? After all the devil is in the details with a little pitchfork telling you to put that book you finished reading back on the shelf. So observing the arising and nature of how our thoughts and how we feel is paramount in understanding how and why we leave things literally and quite metaphysically scattered about. How does it make you FEEL when you put something back in its correct place you have made for it? It is important to understand that you may have created that space in the first place for a specific PURPOSE. Ah yes, purpose. So all these objects that are in order or disorder have an underlying utilitarian aspect based upon some type of underlying meaning to you or particular function to BETTER your life or at least make it more efficient ( less chaotic ).

That painting on the wall serves a sense of meaning to your space and what you value in life.

The tool drawer is a reflection of your needs and values as well as a projection of potential for what may or may not HAPPEN in the future.

So when all things are in "Order" ( to you ), how does that make YOU feel?
It is the act of paying attention and listening to what your mind and body are telling you. A visceral experience that can help you align yourself with where you need to be or where you THINK you need to be. And where you think you should be is all apart of the process of finding where you are in every moment. The makeup of who you are and how conscious you are of it.

It's the conscious attention to the energy that matters. The energy that is used for the mitigation of thoughts and things. The energy that can be misappropriated in states of confusion and emotional turmoil. Oh how we can squander this precious energy through these Thick Thicket of Thoughts.

So why doesn't it seem so hard to put things back where they belong or at least forget to do it in the first place? Great Question. If you were totally present, do you think you would forget where to put things back in order? How does one little thing relate to the big picture? This goes back to the illuminating concept of  "How you do one thing ( no matter how small ) is how you DO everything!"

How you put on your socks is much like how you scrape that little bit of grime off a plate.
How you keep your passenger seat in your car is like how you clean you keep the top of your stove.

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How do you wash the dishes? With care? With haste? Just trying to get it out of the way? Another question. Do you think you were PRESENT for the washing of the dishes? What happens when you let those dishes pile up? Sure it starts out as one or two, but then neglecting it can create a mountain or porcelain. ( So you put it off ) Understandable. You have priorities. Well, we ALL have priorities. Why wouldn't you think keeping things in order or putting things back where they belong are a TOP PRIORITY?

Ah you see! You say you want balance. Well, what does that mean? Surely, there are more immediate things in your life that need more tending and vital urgency towards. So when you procrastinate the small things, they turn bigger like the problems we refuse to face or sweep under the rug. The boiling pressure of negligence compounds and slowly expands in your psyche. So in a moment of frustration, one can look around and see what is not "in place" and take ACTION.  Key word: Action. Action drives character and the way we choose (or not choose ) to see the world!

When your "anxiety" or discomfort arises, what happens when you look around you and see what is not in place? What happens when you put something back in it's right place? Or where you think the "right" place is. How does it affect your mood? Ah. Observe it. Feel it out.

REFLECTIONS

The way we organize our spaces is a reflection of how our minds are organized.


DG

Stevie Wonder SATURN lyrics:

"Packing my bags going away
To a place where the air is clean
On Saturn
There's no sense to sit and watch people die
We don't fight our wars the way you do
We put back all the things we use
On Saturn
There's no sense to keep on doing such crimes"