July 3, 2015 Chautauqua

Beth's Ponderings

   What a difference a year or two can make!

    If you had told me a couple of years ago what my life would look like in 2015, and what I’d be doing, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. Yet, here I am.

   Many people I know who have gone through a significant life change some time in the last year or so have commented along the lines of, “It sure is nice not to have to (fill in the blank) any more.”

   Ironically, just before I collapsed two years ago, I started reading a book called “The Laws of Subtraction” by Matthew May. I have only read half the book, however, the premise is that value is found in what you take out, or subtract, not what you add.  Similar to the theme “less is more,” but deeper.  Remember it is the empty space inside a cup that makes it useful.

   We’re all too busy, too focussed on the wrong things, and too tired to even realize it.  If we aren’t rushing here and there, trying to cram endless activities into our schedules, our minds are on overdrive, racing all hours of the day and night.

   One positive thing about a major life change is that it interrupts our lives and thoughts just enough that we can see what is important to us, and what is draining us.  

   For some reason, we find it easier to subtract what we don’t want to do or have when we face a crisis of some nature.  If it is that easy to subtract from our lives, why do we wait?

   There is a fine line between expressing life through your time investment in various activities, and becoming so consumed by those activities (and heaping even more on your plate) that you are actually hiding from life.

   We struggle for the elusive “life balance,” but there is no such thing.  Instead of balance, we should be aiming for manageable - whatever that means for each of us.

   Ultimately it doesn’t matter how many ball (activities) you are able to juggle in your life, you are juggling most effectively if you are only juggling 3 balls (activities) at a once, and you are most proficient when you focus on only one ball (task) at a time.

Beth

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