SimplyComplexJen

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Overwhelmed.

It's a word that has such depth, but is seemingly simple.

I know we (I) bring a lot of it on ourselves. So much to accomplish, so little time.

There's so much I've been trying this year (much to the detriment of my triathlon training) to make our lives simpler and more organic. What I didn't plan for in all my planning for our garden and hiking and other activities is what I was going to remove from my life to accommodate all these changes.

Planned workouts seemed to fall by the wayside the easiest, but I haven't let them go. Meaning, everyday my planned workout is on my list, and every day for the last 3 weeks (except 4 days), it's gotten bumped for other things.

Tomorrow's yoga? Bumped by having a 2 week late birthday dinner with a friend on my night where bebe is at her dads.

Today's lunch workout? Bumped by the fact I need to go to Lowe's to buy fencing supplies for the workers that will be there tomorrow.

Last night?  Stay up late working on project for Bebe's school program this Saturday.  

and on and on it goes. I thought I was working closer to balance, not throwing myself off more.

A few years ago I did this crazy thing and walked a few hundred miles across the Indian countryside, looking for the footsteps of Mahatma Gandhi. And I found them. At the time, I had plastered myself with the following labels (and many more):

"chef, farmer, organic, local, healthy, vegan, pure, conscientious, clean, dedicated, serious, relaxed"

Labels, like everything else, are exactly what they are: nothing more and nothing less. They're not good, they're not bad, they're just labels.

The funny thing was that with all the penniless walking (the no money was part of the experiment, the contract with the universe) and 100 degree temperatures, the labels started to peel off. And the harder I tried to stick them back, the more of that gritty stuff got between my skin and the glue, and eventually I just had to give up.

Like with the chai. Indian tea, chai, was exactly what I didn't drink. It's made from low-quality over-boiled black tea, assuaged with full-fat (7%) buffalo milk, mountain ranges of refined white sugar, and a few tasty spices. In terms of labour and environmental politics, the tea and sugar are a cocktail of misery and oppression. And it's a far cry from vegan. And it's what I had every day, maybe many times a day, because I was a penniless pilgrim walking through the wilds of countryside and compassion, and the chai was my ticket into people's hearts.

The next step was the cookies. These damn ubiquitous wafers branded "Parle-G" and pronounced not in the French way at all, but rather, "parlee-gee". Refined wheat and refined sugar. Nothing whole or healthy about and yet, it's what the "common man" swears by in India, from villagers to urbanites to wandering holy men, all bow down to the temple of the "Parle-G". So, as you can probably guess, I could literally watch myself, get more comfortable with the little atrocities, relax into enjoying their sweetness and crunch, begin to savor their texture after dipping them in my chai. It's a matter of relaxation, of relinquishing control, and understanding "This is where I am, and at every moment, I must start where I am".

So maybe that's relevant to you. Maybe you're not thrilled about what you normally have for breakfast, or the roles you're playing or the scene you're building. That's fine. But what I've seen is that your ticket Out of There is not through resistance or hatred or pressure but through acceptance. It's where we are. Once we stop thrashing ourselves about it, we can see clearly, and start to deal.

written by Ankur Shah, author, chef, farmer and Spiritual Care Jedi.
http://www.mangolandia.org/

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Oscar Wilde once said, "The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention."

I've taken to a new habit at work, writing a thank you note a day. Sometimes it's to a vendor, or customer, or trucker, or even a customs broker. I'm always careful to say thanks on the phone, but how often do you get a thank you note. I do it not only to stand out, but also because I'm sincere. Without the help of dozens of people a day, I could not succeed at my job.

Today, I noticed Real Simple (a guilty pleasure of mine!) posted an article on Simple Ways to Make Someone's Day. It gave some great ideas, but don't underestimate the power of the Thank You Note!

link to article:
Simple Ways to Make Someone's by Real Simple

So many times, we are so wrapped up in getting to the next place, we are not present in our current location. Our mind is elsewhere. When that happens, we fail to see all that is happening around us, including people.

My hope for today is that I do not fail to recognize those who help and support me.