Bring Freedom to Every Activity

One of the recurring topics of this blog is how to create the conditions of a life well-spent.  I've talked about the idea of the hand-chosen life.  I've reflected that it's about who we surround ourselves with, on adding margins to our activities, building brief habits, asking the right questions each day, our practice of being mindful and being grateful, even for one small thing a day.  These things make sense; I've benefited from building habits of most of these things.  And I know that I feel like drained, exhausted, demoralized by the pandemic than most people I know.

One topic that I don't feel I've made enough headway through is the idea of having an openness and excitement about the day.  It's the opposite of feeling like each day is a joyless trudge of to-dos and responsibilities.  I recall Emerson writing about changing the "lens" of your life... your attitude.  And I'm thinking of Thich Nhat Hahn writing about enjoying washing dishes.  I am able to change/reframe my attitude towards current events...  I can catch myself rushing through something and relax into it... take my time doing dishes or housework.  

But I'm still always struggling to "look forward" to the day ahead.  In Thubten Chodron's interview with Dan Harris, there's this section where Chodron says that she wants others to think she's "nice."  Harris challenges her from a feminist perspective on that word saying many women find that offensive, like a synonym of unassertive or servile.  Chodron adjusts what she says by saying she doesn't want to be grumpy.  

What's the future tense of being grateful?  Authentically cheerful? Joyful? I've thought about it in terms of "getting to do something" rather than "having to do something."  I've thought about it being "curious" about what's to come next.  That attitude is probably closest to what I'm thinking:  being excited about the possibilities of what will come next, being certain that the next hour will bring novelty and intriguing things that you'll enjoy and look back to with fondness (though the joys might be small and transitory).  

I wonder if it relates to being able to change my attitude to what "goodness" is... am I looking for "major and lasting goodness" or am I able also to appreciate and luxuriate in temporary goodness?  (Vonnegut saying we should say "THIS is really good" more often.... and Marie Howe's sense of "this is what you have been waiting for," in "The Gate." 

This is what you have been waiting for, he used to say to me. / And I’d say, What? / And he’d say, This — holding up my cheese and mustard sandwich. / And I’d say, What? / And he’d say, This, sort of looking around

This section of Leo Babauta's blog deals with the same thinking.  He casts it both as a way of transforming "routine" and "suffocating"  and "dull" into freedom and joy and "lit-upness."  I like that word... all three of those words.  

Bring Freedom, Joy & Lit-upness to Every Activity

We can feel trapped because we’re craving freedom, but our day job isn’t allowing for it. We can feel drained and discouraged because our day job feels draining, stressful, dull.

But it doesn’t have to be that way! We can bring joy and freedom to any activity, including our routine work.

What would it be like to do the activity you normally experience as suffocating … with a sense of freedom and joy?

What if you could do the dull routine activities with vitality? What if you could be lit up in any moment you liked?

This is a possibility few people allow themselves. I encourage you to explore it.

What could your life be like, bringing freedom and joy to anything you liked?