just do the next thing (itty bitty thoughts)

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When we were on vacation at the cabin recently,
there was no planning out the days.
I’m not one of those
here is the itinerary for our trip
kind of people.
No, the next thing on our “what should we do” list
was just the next thing that needed to be done.
There was no self-important pondering of
how can I change the world.
There were just logs to be dragged
cut to length
and split with a maul.
There was no time to consider motives or conspiracies
There was just the consideration of
how to ration what water was left until we went home.
What always surprises me on vacation at the cabin
is how easily I can step away from all the
Other Stuff of Life
and how often I consider
how easy it would be to
just not go back home.
So why does everything seem so
all-consuming and important
when I do go back home?
I understand that vacation is different
(even though most Normal People think
splitting logs and rationing water
isn’t really a vacation)
but does heading back home to pay the bills
require the drama that comes with it?
Does the place where
hot water comes from the faucet
and coffee is done in five minutes
require the constant pull in 47 directions?
Does leaving the place where I sleep
11 hours a night
require the cloud of panic that
only allows me to sleep five?
Maybe the beautiful thing about vacation
is that you only have to think about
the next thing.
I’m trying to reset my life to be about the next thing.
(Which is hard because I always like to be
two steps ahead)
Is there a way to do both?
Can I live a life where I’m moderately prepared
but also a life where I thumb through an old magazine
and find a recipe for pickled eggs and decide to
just,
you know,
make them?
Can I live a life where I know what needs to be done tomorrow
but I’m also okay with that project that came up just now?
Is it possible to live a life where the to-do list
doesn’t get jumbled into a ball of stress
and instead
is unraveled piece by piece into
canning spaghetti sauce
cleaning out the hay shed
helping a kid with his philosophy paper.
Is it possible to live a life where
you know what’s going on
and you know how much you can shove in
but also have time to feed
another stray kitten you found
at the end of the driveway?
Maybe life is less about how much you can shove in
and more about how many stray kittens you can feed.
Maybe life is less about knowing what “needs” to get done
and more about tackling the things that “come up”.
Maybe things don’t actually “come up”.
Maybe all the hard and fast plans and lists we make
are some sort of illusion
that cause the Universe and the Makers
to roll their eyes at us.
Without “plans” and without “how it’s supposed to be”
would our eyes be more open to
what’s actually happening in front of our face?
I’m not sure.
All I know is that there is
some sort of peace
in being open to
just doing the next thing.
— Amy Dingmann, 9-29-20
Bookmark ITTY BITTY THOUGHTS and come back to check out what I post tomorrow! I’d love your thoughts on today’s post in a comment below or via email at [email protected].
How were the eggs? Pickled eggs were one of my favorite things grandma would make.
The recipe said they have to sit in the brine for two weeks so I’m still waiting. The brine is delish though, so I’m excited!
I like the idea of unraveling the to-do list piece by piece. It all gets done eventually.
True story. What needs to get done gets done. Or it doesn’t, and life goes on.
I agree, I think as a society most people are trying to fit too much stuff in a day and then get stressed out because it won’t fit. I think taking it day by day and just deal with the stuff that comes up (or not) and do what is needed. I have a little list of daily thing to do but if it doesn’t all get done there is always tomorrow.
There is only so much you can do, and I’m finding out that sometimes what I think I’m supposed to do isn’t the thing I’m supposed to do. 🙂
Life is what happens
While we’re making other plans!
Love the orange kitten!!
True words by a wise man. 😉
These itty-bitty thoughts are really resonating with me. Thank you.
I’m glad you’re enjoying them. I’m certainly enjoying the opportunity to write them. 🙂
I listened to your latest blog, but couldn’t figure out how to leave a comment! I LOVE your plan to go back to old fashioned blogging!!!! I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed reading blogs until you said it. I hate social media and love the idea of a little bit of work to read what I really want to read! You are on the right track!!! I’m glad to be following along.
I really miss old fashioned blogging and I’m glad you are missing the “old days” too. There’s just something about reading a blog that you don’t get when you’re scrolling through social media. As far as commenting on the last blog post (the one that was also a podcast) – can you comment here? https://afarmishkindoflife.com/108-raq-5/ I may have to do some different things with how I set up my posts now that I’m doing daily posts because I think it’s making the podcasts hard to find if you just hop on to my site. 😉
Being open to what comes next instead of trying (usually fruitlessly) to grasp and steer really does sound like a better way forward. Especially if it includes feeding more cats.
And there are so many cats to feed. 😉