I asked a friend how life was treating him. He replied with a sigh, “As well as I let it.” We laughed at the truth of it.
As I lingered on the couch this morning, watching the birds through the front window, sipping my tea, tinkering with my morning journaling, sinking into quiet, I remembered just how easy life can be.
As my mind would drift to all the usual agenda items (I should do this, I need to get that, etc), Wisdom reminded me once again, “Open to this moment.” And it dawned on me, once again, how this action has simplified my life. Returning to the moment, whatever circumstances it may bring, and opening to it…well, it’s the lazy and wise person’s path to ease. There is nothing wrong with being lazy, by the way. It’s a perfectly acceptable way to attend to self-care. Sitting quietly, pacing oneself, finding balance and “working smart” (not hard) turns out to be a very productive and satisfying approach to life.
Living an easy life has much to offer. I don’t spend so much time imagining trauma and drama, like I used to do in my worrying days. When I return to this moment and open to it, I discover the clarity to manage activity wisely, instead of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. When I attend to each moment, I’m aware of how I’m “doing” life, so life isn’t “doing” me. I see fear and how it confuses me and my priorities and decision-making ability, and I get better at releasing it.
Finally, I’ve discovered: an easy life is a free life. The practice of the moment is the practice of liberation. As I return to this moment and open to it, I face everything that closes, subdues, confines, and otherwise soils my experience, in real time. And it’s always fear that closes and confines. I get to practice releasing fear or examining why I cling to it and open to the fact that I’m clinging to it. Practicing the easy life takes courage, because facing fear takes courage. But once tasted, the ease and simplicity of a moment’s freedom is so delicious, the practice rewards itself.
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