Sunday, May 02, 2010

The Next Right Thing

I really liked this Zen Story.

~ via

So often I resist doing the simplest next right thing because I am looking for something more important to do. I often find it hard to do the simplest thing in front of me. Sometimes I put my feet flat on the floor just to remind myself to be in the here and now instead of the past or future.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

I had become so used to complicating things, that it was difficult for me to just get out of the way and to focus on the present. Making progress in that direction has made a huge difference in my life. Still don't always get it right, but it's nice to have a much better sense of what I should be aiming for. Thanks for the reminder!

Kathy M. said...

Thanks for the link. I like this advice. I once wrote a story about a tribal judge who was very interested in ceremony and taught a class about it. He believed that there were four parts to every ceremony. Cleansing, putting things in their proper place, reconnecting and remembering, and prayer and meditation.

His students were given the assignment to create their own four hour or four day ceremony. He suggested they keep it simple. Wash your dishes and put them away, he told them.

Your post and the link reminded me of that. Often, I remind myself when I'm washing the dishes and putting them away that I'm really taking part in a ceremony. Just that thought takes it out of the realm of ordinary and gives it significance.

Enchanted Oak said...

Since the end of March, when my demented mom took a nosedive and went really looney, I've had to work at doing the next right thing because I'm an emotional wreck. I would find myself simply overwhelmed by everything that appeared to be demanding my attention. That's when I would call my sponsor, tell her what was on my plate, and ask her to direct me. Thank God for her! She always came up with the simplest solutions. There's a reason we check with wiser people before running off half-cocked. They have a precious thing called wisdom!

Melissa said...

Yes!