One of my favorite stories is the legend of the poet Rumi walking through the gold smithing market of Konya and hearing the music of the hammer strokes creating the gold jewelry and wares for sale. Instead of seeing the hot, bustling, smoky, hectic and repetitive monotony of the market, Rumi saw the world being created through daily life.
Are you able to see the beauty in your daily tasks?
If you aren’t, what prevents that from happening?
How many times have you driven to work? Your life would be a lot different if you were not willing to make the effort to take that trip every day. How many emails have you sent? Your business would not be as productive if you were not sending emails. How many soccer/swimming/tennis/football/volleyball/baseball/basketball practices have you sat through? Your children would not be learning and growing and developing their view of the world without this effort! Are these repetitive tasks the monotonous hum-drum of life, or the world being created? You get to pick!
There is certainly an advantage to changing this perception. Suddenly your daily tasks are part of a bigger growth and adaptation that is always happening at a global scale. Even the laundry and the groceries become more important! Is there a disadvantage to seeing the world this way? I have trouble thinking of one!
What are the hammer strokes of your daily life? Where are the most repetitive things that become mundane and routine? What would it take to shift your perspective and see the world unfolding in the repetition of your daily life? – www.rhoadscoaching.com
finding meaning and purpose in daily life
