peace is in the details

After writing the other day I realized that my pace while doing most things (aside, of course, from things that need to be completed by a certain time, like market preparations) actually is quite unhurried, mindful and deliberate. I suppose that is how I find my balance.  It is also where and how I find moments of peace when I need them.... not that we don't all need them on a regular basis.

I'm talking about things like weeding and tending the garden, sweeping, hanging clothes, washing dishes..... the things that need to happen on a daily basis to keep it all flowing as smoothly as possible.  I understand that many people (including the one I am married to) prefer to whiz through these chores, getting through them as quickly as possible so they can move on to something else.  I get it.  There are other things to do.  But for me, for the most part, I've a strong preference for slowing it down.

For me, hanging clothes isn't just about conserving electricity.  It's about the act itself and the way it is meditative for me.  I tend to give some thought to what goes where and how it looks.  I know that may sound a little strange~ who cares how it looks?  It's a clothesline.  But I enjoy catching sight of it all blowing in the breeze throughout the day and so the aesthetics of it bring me joy.  That, and maybe taking the time to hang them in a way that appeals to me is my way of spending a little more time doing it.

I said I wasn't going to try broccoli again, but we'll see... maybe this is the year

peas!

Mulching the raised beds is another thing that I recently caught myself doing very slowly, taking the time to check out each little plant as I nestled the straw around it.  Gardening is very much about self sufficiency, eating the freshest produce possible and saving a few bucks of course, but it is another place that I find myself paying a lot of attention to how it looks.  There is peace to be found in carefully stringing another layer for the peas to wind up, in weeding around and mulching the growing plants.... it's not so much about order and control (at least I don't think it is) as it is about enjoying growing these plants and creating a beautiful space for them, and for us.  Getting my hands in the dirt is most definitely one of my favorite kinds of therapy.  Grounding, free, and readily accessible with no appointments necessary.

sneak peek at our garlic 

the lettuce drawer in all it's glory

And sweeping?  Well, sweeping just kinda makes me feel good.  I don't really like the feeling of walking around on dirt and bits of food and cat hair, though those things do cover some part of the floor here at all times for sure, and so a good sweep does two things; makes my toes happier for not having to step on all kinds of nastiness, and makes me slow down and focus on just the task at hand.  It's not often that I can quiet my mind like that, so I've become a fan of some time with the broom.

Just so you don't go thinking I'm pretending to have mastered how to be all mindful and Zen about all chores, let me add that I almost never (really very, very close to never) mop the floor or clean the windows, and I really can't stand cleaning the bath tub.

Oh and I'm terrible about making piles.  Particularly of paper, but also of clean clothes waiting to be put away.  Usually when I start in on whittling away at a pile I get the itch to instead go outside and mess around in the garden.  Or maybe to sweep.  Or go for a walk.  Or anything else that doesn't really have to get done right then.