The ordinary art

"The ordinary arts we practice every day at home are of more importance to the soul than their simplicity might suggest."
                        Thomas Moore

   How we do is more important than what we do.  One of the most inspiring people I ever met was a man named Kenny.  He picked up the grounds at an apartment complex.  We met Kenny in the early 90's.  He picked up trash and smiled.  Every time you saw Kenny he was happy.  It didn't matter what he was doing, he was happy.  His job didn't define him, his attitude did. 

   I still think of this happy man picking up trash.  Somehow he made his job seem like the best job ever.  He was outside, chatting, whistling, working and being.   

  How do you show up at work?  Or more importantly how do you want to show up at work?
                   

Shifting your perspective of work

Work and play are exactly what you decide they are.

   This spring I gave one of my "chores" over to Dallas.  Mowing our lawn.  As he was mowing and I was working on something else I was thankful and felt relieved not to have to mow the lawn that week.  But a funny thing happened when I walked into our back yard... I missed it! I missed being outside, I missed the smell of freshly cut grass, I missed the feel of a newly mowed lawn.  I missed moving to the rhythm of mowing, the meditative quality of one foot in front of the other. I missed the physical work out. I missed mowing my lawn.  I missed my chore!!

   And it turns out it wasn't a chore all along it was a gift of nature and meditation and accomplishment.  It was so much more than a chore.   It is exactly what I decide it to be.

  The truth is, mowing or washing dishes or cleaning or sitting on the deck, reading, grocery shopping are all things we do.  How we do them is what matters most.