“Stop Whining and
Do What’s Right for You”
Earthy Crunchy Self
Gives Me a Talking-To
 |
| Earthy Crunchy self insisted I hang the clothes on the line. |
Dog-walking
for the morning was just about over, so I headed down the dusty shell-rock road
toward home. I scanned my mental list to set my priorities for the day. “Write” was first on the list. I stepped inside and heard the
washer’s final spin of the load of clothing I started earlier. I added “put
clothes in dryer” to said list.
Earthy Crunchy self, however, had other plans. “The sun is shining, and only the
fewest tiny clouds dot the sky. Rain is forecast, but that’s not until later,”
she said. I knew then that she wanted nothing more than to trot outside to the
clothesline, basket of wet clothes and clothespin bag in tow, and put those wet
clothes on the line.
“But I
want to write, now,” I argued with Earthy Crunchy self. “I have work to do,
lots of work to do. I have deadlines to meet.”
Earthy Crunchy self shook her head and said, “Hanging clothes on the line is a part of who you are. You will always
want to write, and you can do that as soon as you hang the clothes. You also will
always have work to do, whether it’s something you’ve manufactured or real.
Stop whining and do what’s right for you.”
Who I
am. Earthy Crunchy self is right. I love hanging clothes on
the line. It’s not about saving money, although that’s a consideration
after seeing last month’s electric bill when I didn’t use the clothesline.
Hanging clothes on the line is friendly to the environment, and even that small
action means the slightest domino effect takes place. I use less fossil fuel;
my electricity bill is lower; I don’t have to work as much to pay said bill;
and by using that time to do the work I love, I come closer to the day when I
do only what I love.
Hanging
clothes out to dry in itself isn’t as much as a life-changer as I would like it to be. I
don’t see myself living the life of my dreams just because I put some wet
clothes on the line today. But living the life of my dreams will come with the combinations of ordinary
things I do each day—things like writing, hanging clothes on the line, gardening,
eating well, and rather than being judgmental and insisting on getting my own way,
trying to focus on compassion and understanding.
I
listened to Earthy Crunchy self’s direction to be who I am. I walked outside in
the wet morning grass, got my clean shoes dirty, and hung the small load of
jeans on the line.
When I
came inside, Earthy Crunch self was satisfied. She said, “Now go write. The
clothes will be dry in a few hours. I’ll be back to remind you to go outside
and take them off the line.”
I sat down and started writing, which is another part of who I am.
* * * * *
What
makes you “who you are”? Earthy Crunchy self would be pleased if you were to
practice that today.
No comments:
Post a Comment