To Begin is Half the Work

To Begin is Half the Work

Begin - to begin is half the work, let half still remain; again begin this, and thou wilt have finished.

Marcus Aurelius

During these warm summer days I find it exhausting to deal with household work - especially cleaning the house ;-) - and sometimes I procrastinate for days. It’s so much nicer to go outside, take a long hike or work in the garden if temperatures allow. However, I never really feel at ease if my home is disorganised - I see it as the mirror of my soul.

Finally I push myself to at least begin cleaning up, and hop...! Once started, I most often finish the cleaning quite quickly. Just the fact of beginning an unloved task really is already half the work.  Why is that so hard to remember?

The newsletter is taking two weeks vacation and wishes you all a wonderful summer with as little unloved tasks as possible :-) 

Freedom

Freedom 

Freedom is the basis of all happiness. Without freedom, there is no happiness. This means freedom from despair, freedom from resentment, freedom from jealousy and fear. 

                                                

                                                                              Thich Nhat Hanh: You Are Here

When we think about freedom, what often comes to mind is “outer freedom”: freedom from oppression, being free to choose how to live our lives, or simply not being in jail.

However, no outer circumstances can free you, if you’re not free inside. If you remain attached to your thoughts and views, your likes and dislikes, you’re caught in your own mind and no real freedom is possible.

We need to free our minds, and drop prejudices and old opinions. I’m not saying we should abandon our deepest convictions of what is right and wrong, but we need to question our preconceived ideas. 

We also need to free our soul from anxieties about the future, from fear and anguish, and act upon what worries us. As always either you accept the situation, or you do your best to change it.

I know, it’s easy to say and so much more difficult to do, but unless we start trying, no change will ever come about.

Happy in the Present Moment

AA wrote: What a lovely idea...  And yes first sip of the coffee = a very happy moment

Happy in the Present Moment

I am happy in the present moment. I do not ask for anything else. I do not expect any additional happiness or conditions that will bring about more happiness.

                                 Thich Nhat Hanh: The Heart of the Buddha’s Teaching

Every day is full of small moments of happiness. Sometimes we’re too caught up in our worries and projects to notice all the little miracles that our life consists of, and we think that we can only be happy at another time, in another situation. 

However, if we take a closer look at our lives, we’ll notice that we can be happy right in the middle of it, just the way it is, if we decide to enjoy the everyday Magic Moments:  the first sip of our morning coffee, a warm shower, or a freshly ironed shirt. The little flower next to the bus stop, still wet from the morning dew. The smile from a stranger you cross in the street. 

Put a small notebook or a piece of paper and a pen in your pocket, and during one day note every single one of its little miracles. The more aware and attentive you are, the quicker it will fill up. And them more aware and attentive you get! :-)

There is no reason to wait for any Big Happy Event (quitting your job, meeting Mr. Right, going to your favourite Greek island); a happy life is made up of all these little miracles. We just have to slow down and be there for them. 

See Life With the Eyes of a Child

                    AA wrote: Beautiful! I love this! ❤️

See Life With the Eyes of a Child

                  A child said, What is the grass? Fetching it to me with full

hands; 

How could I answer the child? … I do not know what it

is any more than he.

  Walt Whitman

We have so many prejudices/pre-conceptions about many things. Not just about how certain (groups of) people are, but basically of everything in life: “Tea is bitter”, “Stones are dead”, “Mondays are depressing”, “Playing chess is boring” and so on. They all prevent us from living life fully!

There’s a concept within Zen Buddhism called Shoshin (初心) meaning “beginner's mind”. It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, just as a beginner in that subject would.

Next time you catch yourself with putting a ready made label on something, take hold of your mind and empty it. Look at that something with that empty mind, with wonder and awe. Just as a child would do.