Flow

With my laundry bottlneck solved, I'm reminded of the importance of "Flow".....my own theory (not Mihaly Csikszentmihaly's) of how one achieves a harmonious existence. We have many systems that operate in our life:  money, food, mail, digestive, emotional, rest, activity, sleep and, of course, laundry.  My laundry back up was a reminder that the mundane issues of life, when not taken care of, (stacked up mail and papers are other culprits) lock up our psychic energy--converts to stress.

I have many books in my home.  I've a 'flow' problem with that too.  I've undertaken certain initiatives to organize them.  However, there is much to be said for that chance book by the bedside that is 'just the thing for the moment.'  Unfortunately, to have a successful experience such as that, you must have a litter of books beside your bed--which sort of counters the 'flow' thing.  Oh well...there must be dynamic tensions in life to keep it interesting.

Just the other evening, I reached for a book that was just the right thing for the moment.  It was a book called Why Worry? by K. Sri Dhammananda.  I'm not sure how this book came into my possession--though I suspect it came from my wandering through a used bookstore.  The book did not appear to have been read previously given that the paperback was pristine and the spine uncracked.

It is a slim volume of just 116 or so pages.  The book's 31 chapters have compelling names:  Speak Gently; You Make your Luck and Your Destiny; Why Worry for the Future?; Why Suffer? and many others.  Reading them is a reminder that we are the source of our own happiness or misery.  If we need wealth to be happy, then we are truly miserable.

Part of my coming to terms with my personal flow theory is to eliminate "Stuff"--here's the definition

Matter, material, articles, or activities of a specified or indeterminate kind that are being referred to, indicated, or implied.

 I'm rather partial to the word 'stuff' for all of the generic things to which it refers.  Systematically eliminating 'stuff' from my life is hard for me as I have a natural tendency to see the utility of things.  Oh...there is a time when just about anything will have a good and certain use; however, when those occassions arise it is likely that you have so many other  things that have a good a certain  use (we can call that junk) as well that you cannot find THE item that you are looking for.

Simplify.  It is a mantra that I've been embracing.  But like the journey of a thousand miles that begins with one step, my journey of simplification and decluttering begins with the filling of a single bag with stuff.  While I see utility in everything, I have to remember that the BEST utility is not my good and certain use at some unspecified time, but rather the good and certain use by another ALL of the time.  That's my Jedi mind trick for decoupling from the stuff in my life.