Get Back to Basics
Learn to Cherish Simple
Has busy become your identity?
I find myself answering people as though my own name is BUSY.
It’s so easily done. There’s a ton of things to do in any given day. Tasks to be accomplished. Goals to be reached. Life to be lived. Yet, if I’m honest with myself, none of that leads to the “busy” I’m talking about.
Busy is often just a euphemism for ‘distracted’.
“Mommy, will you play trains with me?”
“Oh, I can’t honey, Mommy’s busy.”
“How have you been lately?”
“Busy, but good!”
This is not me wagging my finger at you. No, no. I have plenty of finger wagging that should be coming my way (those are actual conversations listed above – not just random examples). Yet, no amount of scolding or pointy-finger-bashings ever seems to result in meaningful change. Instead, I’m here to invite you into intentionally not being ‘busy’ (ahem…distracted).
During the everything-gets-closed-but-life-still-needs-to-happen time warp that was 2020 and 2021 for me, I’m not sure I learned as much as I should have. Since I can’t change the past, I am determined to learn from it.
So, here goes…
I remember sitting at my desk (pre-COVID) rehashing how much I enjoyed my job and helping people, but how I felt like I never saw enough of my husband or children because we were just so busy.
Then in a 5 month swing everything changed. January 2020 we learned our hospital was closing. February (exactly 1 month later) we learned that the closing date was May 22nd instead of the end of September and a shocking 2 weeks before I was due with our 4th child (born May 30th). We faithfully walked the interview scene and worked many long, cold nights finishing a home we had thought we had 4 years to complete. With a contract in-hand we were reminded that our plans are not the final word. As the world faced a pandemic that caused an economic ripple no current generation had yet faced, we were told that our contracts were no longer able to be honored. Still, we faithfully kept digging and waiting for the refreshing rain to come. A friend spoke the idea I had long had, but was afraid to speak in such chaos…such busyness.
June harbored the first wave of the dream coming to fruition and I began working here with livableYOU. August brought more time with my family as I began teaching them from home while launching a practice formed out of compassion and dreams. In less than a year my world had turned upside down, been twisted a few times and landed me exactly where my dreams had been. Yet, it took only a few weeks (OK, who am I kidding? It took about a day…) to see that my heart still wrestled with an uneasiness that I was busy…just too busy.
It didn’t matter if I was working from home or an office. Spending an hour or all day in the presence of my family. If I didn’t pay attention and live intentionally, the days – weeks – months – years – would still pass and all I would be able to say is, “I was busy.”
Busy has to stop.
The only way I know to do that is to be still and be present – really present…not just in the same space.
Engaged. Aware.
To do this, I have to force an awareness of simple.
As I have been writing this post, my 1-year-old woke from his nap and crawled into my lap. I type old school…no fancy talk to type here…so, I had to stop. I chuckled because in real life fashion, I had to decide if I was going to practice intention or settle for distracted (“No honey, I can’t hold you. I’m busy writing a blog about not being busy.”)
I held him.
Maybe this writing takes a hit due to it, but here’s the best way I can explain cherishing the simple:
His little body fits on my lap. My brain can’t comprehend that only a few short months ago he was “the size of an apple” on the baby-size chart and in a few too-short years he will be bigger than me. I listened to him breathe. I felt him in my lap. Kissed his little head. Then laid him down.
I changed the dialogue.
“Of course I will hold you. Rest here and I will too.”
Cherish the simple. A light breeze. A pretty bird. Holding a hand. Seeing the sky.
Live grateful.
No matter how bad it gets, we have something for which we can be thankful (more than likely many somethings).
The next time you start to re-name yourself ‘Busy’ think,
“No, I am (insert name) and I am thankful for _______.”
If there are things you are saying ‘yes’ to that could be a ‘no’ or at least a ‘later’, identify those opportunities. Remove the distractions and live in the moment.
Cherish simple.
written by Kelli Keller, D.O.
