[Sargent: Wheel Ruts in a Dirt Road]
This is yesterday's quote from my Zen Page-A-Day calendar:
Habit, laziness, and fear conspire to keep us comfortably within the familiar.Ah, the story of my life.
~ Jane Hirshfield
So far, I've found only a few things that can break me out of the rut of that comfort-trance: meditation, therapy, and love -- not necessarily in that order. There's probably more, but those are the ones I can think of right now.
If you have others, drop me a note.
Well there's also the opposite of laziness or habit: discipline and spontaneity. There are times when, to break a habit or simply move outside my boundaries, I discipline myself to each day do something I never would have other wise: clean a room of the house, call a relative I haven't spoken to or seen in months/years, do something for someone that evinces sensitivity to their specific needs and preferences. Other times I'll practice spontaneity: the first wild notion that comes into my head I'll do: go to Coney Island, walk the hella long way home, say I love, you're right, I apologize, even though, at that moment, I'm thinking pretty much the opposite! lol.
ReplyDeleteGreat suggestions -- thanks!
ReplyDelete~ Bill