Conventional busy is the new normal these days. Even those of us who don’t have a lot of required stuff on our plates often run the busy default, filling every moment with some activity or another.
Here’s a poem from an old Zen guy who was, apparently, also quite busy.
(I saw in the mist a little village of a few tiled roofs and joyfully admired it.)
There’s a stream, and there’s bamboo,
there’s mulberry and hemp.
Mist-hid, clouded hamlet,
a mild, tranquil place.
Just a few tilled acres.
Just a few tiled roofs.
How many lives would I
have to live, to get
that simple.
Yuan Mei, 1716-1798
I love this poem, but the longing is palpable.
Yuan Mei, like many of the great Chinese poets, exhibited many talents: working as a government official, teacher, writer, and a painter. Perhaps meditation and the teachings of Zen (Ch’an in Chinese) helped him pace himself. Maintain some sort of balance and equanimity.
But when you consider his poem, perhaps his life was overly busy like so many of us today. The longing for simplicity. For a tranquil place. The focus on nature.
Regardless of external conditions, there are always going to be things ready to fill your days, distract you from your life’s true calling.
What is it that you were called here to do in this life? How can you keep choosing that, and forgo at least some of the busyness?
It’s certainly possible to step out of the frantic cycle. I offer this as a reminder to make the effort. To remember that you are more than your to do list.
Image Credit
Yuan Mei @ Wikimedia
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