As the oldest boy growing up on a farm in South Dakota, I was the first one who had to get up early to go out and help milk the cows when I was around 8….and that was just a start. All of us eventually did what we had to do to contribute, and whining about it was not an option.
I’ve always had a hard time relaxing and I think it comes in part from an iron-fisted work ethic that was pounded into me as a child. This wasn’t necessarily a bad thing as it’s served me well throughout the years, but sometimes I think I’ve taken it to the extreme. I have a tendency to feel guilty if a day goes by and I can’t pinpoint something tangible that I’ve accomplished whether it’s mowing the yard, fixing or making something, practicing my music, organizing my stuff, learning something new, or banging out a bunch of words on my keyboard, to name a few. For me, sitting back at the end of the day and savoring my accomplishments is one of life’s greatest pleasures.
Nowadays the urgency to get more and more done is in direct conflict with what I should be doing as I get older - and that is embracing spontaneity, going with the flow, nourishing relationships, stopping to smell the roses, and being OK with what….well, just is.
I've had the same sign on my desk for many years that says, "Nothing matters very much and very few things matter at all." I just need to remember to look at it....
Not all accomplishments are physical. I am currently reading "Solitude" by Robert Kull. This is his journal of a year alone on a remote island in Patagonia. One of his reasons for doing this was to explore spiritual growth in solitude. He, too, struggles with the urge to get things done, but does manage, at times, to just sit and meditate, and be with creation. This, too, is an accomplishment to look back on at the end of the day.