Not Busy

I read this on the internet today. I can use these ideas, maybe you can too. Have a "Not Busy" day!

You keep a to-do list, but you can't get through it by the end of the day, and you're frustrated because you feel like you haven't been able to get enough done.

You find that things take longer than you thought they would.

And when people ask how you are, "Fine" has been replaced by "Too busy."

Welcome to the "too busy" club.

In this technology-driven world, we can do more, so we do -- and we love it. We feel effective and powerful as we check items off our lists and use our cell phones, BlackBerrys, and computers, sometimes all at once.

We're multitasking, doing as much as we can in the least amount of time.
We're active, creative, and engaged!
In demand!
Being too busy makes us feel as though we're making an impact.

On the other hand, feeling too busy drives us crazy.

Falling ever further behind as the to-do list relentlessly grows (each item generating many more items almost as fast as we can think of them) is nerve-racking and stressful.

We begin to feel like prisoners of the list, prisoners of our lives and our desires, prisoners of time.

There just aren't enough hours in the day.
It's as if we're doing battle with time -- and losing.
But the point is not how many things we have done or will do in a given amount of time; the point is how we do what we do. If we're rushed and frantic, we're too busy. If we move through our tasks with equanimity, patient and composed, we're not.

In the Zen Buddhist tradition , there's a story that illustrates this point: A monk is sweeping the temple grounds. Another monk comes by and says, "Too busy!" The first monk replies, "You should know there is one who is not too busy."

Our sweeping monk may have been moving quickly, and so he looked "too busy" to his brother monk. But inside -- in his mind -- he wasn't busy. In the midst of his vigorous activity, he was in touch with "the one who is not busy."

Most of us judge how busy we are by how much we have to do. When there are too many things to do, we think we're busy, and when there isn't much to do, it feels like we're not busy at all. But in fact, we can feel busy when there isn't that much to do, and we can feel relaxed even when there's a lot going on.

The states of "busy" and "not busy" aren't defined by how many things there are to do. Contrary to popular opinion, there is no such thing as multitasking; the brain can tend to only one thing at a time.

Being too busy or not being busy is an interpretation of our activity. Busy-ness is a state of mind, not a fact. No matter how much or how little we're doing, we're always just doing what we're doing, simply living this one moment of our lives.

That moment may seem long or short. Time is an internal, not external, reality. Have you noticed that half an hour in the dentist's chair lasts longer than half an hour at a fun dinner party with friends? And five minutes waiting on hold on the phone passes more slowly than five minutes watching a movie.

Time is how we live it, not what's measured by the clock (after all, the watch was invented fairly recently, in the 16th century). To be sure, our world operates on clock time, which is convenient and necessary; how else would we make it to that dentist's appointment or dinner party? But the clock is supposed to be working for us, not the other way around. If we feel too busy, we've mistaken a feeling for an objective reality and are held captive to that reality. It needn't be that way.

Okay, you say, good theory: We think we're busy, but we're not -- we're just doing one thing after another. But the habit of being convinced we're too busy is hard to shake. What can we do about this persistent mania of feeling task- and time-driven?

Understanding something differently is only a beginning. To change the way we live, we have to practice what we've come to understand until it becomes a natural part of us, a habit of thought, feeling, and body.

There are many simple techniques that can help us with this. Take three conscious breaths (try it now, as you're reading). This will change your mind. Whatever you're feeling will become less compulsive, less driven. There's a measure of detachment and equanimity even after the first breath. You become more present to your surroundings, to the basic awareness of being alive. Try it the next time you're feeling overwhelmed; it doesn't take much time, and it will help you remember "the one who is not busy," the part of you that's always right there, even when it looks or feels like you're too busy.

Walking meditation -- intentionally bringing awareness to your body as you move -- can lift you out of a busy-ness-induced, semiconscious funk. If you can become conscious of the way you're moving and the sensation of each movement, you'll feel refreshed instead of rushed. I know what you're thinking: "I'm too busy to go for a walk." But this is something you can do on your way to and from the bathroom. (And if you're really feeling busy, you're probably overdue for a trip there anyway.)

Sometimes just a phrase can help: "Not busy." Remembering our two monks, you can say this softly to yourself when you feel overwhelmed. I do this when I feel crazed; with the repetition of the words, I immediately recognize that it is my feelings and my thoughts that make me feel pressured, not the tasks I have to do. They will get done -- or not, and the world and I will survive. Even if I do have a crucial deadline, I'll have a much better chance of making it if I feel "not busy" and can proceed with a calm mind. Feeling frantic doesn't make me more efficient. Quite the contrary, it makes mistakes and glitches more likely.

It goes without saying that if you've bitten off more than you can chew in a day, or in a lifetime, you'd better step back and change your circumstances, if at all possible. Let go of a few activities: Peace of mind is more important, and healthier, than those few extra accomplishments. But if you can't or don't want to change your circumstances, you need to find the most serene and beautiful way to live the life you have. In the end, if you persistently and unpleasantly feel too busy, remember this: It's not a fact; it's a choice.
There is one who is not busy.
That one is you.

* F A M I L Y

F A M I L Y

I ran into a stranger as he passed by, 'Oh excuse me please' was my reply. He said, 'Please excuse me too; I wasn't watching for you.'
We were very polite, this stranger and I.
We went on our way and we said goodbye..

But at home a different story is told, How we treat our loved ones, young and old.

Later that day, cooking the evening meal, My son stood beside me very still. When I turned, I nearly knocked him down. 'Move out of the way,' I said with a frown.

He walked away, his little heart broken.
I didn't realize how harshly I'd spoken.
While I lay awake in bed, God's still small voice came to me and said,
'While dealing with a stranger, common courtesy you use, but the family you love, you seem to abuse.
Go and look on the kitchen floor, You'll find some flowers there by the door.. Those are the flowers he brought for you.
He picked them himself: pink, yellow and blue. He stood very quietly not to spoil the surprise, you never saw the tears that filled his little eyes.' By this time, I felt very small, And now my tears began to fall. I quietly went and knelt by his bed; 'Wake up, little one, wake up,' I said. 'Are these the flowers you picked for me?'
He smiled, 'I found 'em, out by the tree. I picked 'em because they're pretty like you. I knew you'd like 'em, especially the blue.' I said, 'Son , I'm very sorry for the way I acted today; I shouldn't have yelled at you that way.'
He said, 'Oh, Mom, that's okay. I love you anyway.' I said, 'Son, I love you too, and I do like the flowers, especially the blue.'

FAMILY
Are you aware that if we died tomorrow, the company that we are working for could easily replace us in a matter of days. But the family we left behind will feel the loss for the rest of their lives. And come to think of it, we pour ourselves more into work than into our own family, an unwise investment indeed, don't you think?

So what is behind the story? Do you know what the word FAMILY means? FAMILY = (F)ATHER (A)ND (M)OTHER (I) (L)OVE (Y)OU

* BBQ Man

New Standard Operating Procedures released today please learn BBQ RULES We are about to enter the BBQ season. Therefore it is important to refresh your memory on the etiquette of this sublime outdoor cooking activity . When a man volunteers to do the BBQ the following chain of events are put into motion:
Routine....
(1) The woman buys the food.
(2) The woman makes the salad, prepares the vegetables, and makes dessert ..
(3) The woman prepares the meat for cooking, place s it on a tray along with the necessary cooking utensils and sauces, and takes it to the man who is lounging beside the grill - beer in hand.
(4) The woman remains outside the compulsory three meter exclusion zone where the exuberance of testosterone and other manly bonding activities can take place without the interference of the woman. Here comes the important part:
(5) THE MAN PLACES THE MEAT ON THE GRILL. More routine...
(6) The woman goes inside to organize the plates and cutlery.
(7) The woman comes out to tell the man that the meat is looking great. He thanks her and asks if she will bring another beer while he flips the meat Important again:
(8) THE MAN TAKES THE MEAT OFF THE GRILL AND HANDS IT TO THE WOMAN. More routine...
(9) The woman prepares the plates, salad, bread, utensils, napkins, sauces, and brings them to the table.
(10) After eating, the woman clears the table and does the dishes. And most important of all: (11) Everyone PRAISES the MAN and THANKS HIM for his cooking efforts..
(12) The man asks the woman how she enjoyed ' her night off ', and, upon seeing her annoyed reaction, concludes that there's just no pleasing some women.

* C H I L D R E N

Children are the anchors that hold a mother to life.
'Children are the keys to paradise.'
We must teach children to dream with their eyes open.

Children make a special kind of sense all their own.
Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see.
Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven.
Children are likely to live up to what you believe in them.
Children seldom misquote you. In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn't have said.
You can get children off your lap,but you can never get them out of your heart.

"Our children's children will hear a good story."

Dearer than our children are the children of our children.
Children are love made visible.
Children are life's little treasures.
Flowers have the sun, Children have their mothers
Children are living jewels dropped unsustained from Heaven.
Children are the marshmallows in the hot chocolate of life.
A mother holds her child's OR childrens' hands for a while, but holds their hearts forever.
Children know the joy of living, and are always ready to share it.
It goes without saying that you should never have more children than you have car windows.
To be in your children's memories tommorrow, you have to be in their lives today
Children are the SUNSHINE of life.

Children are always reaching. Walt Disney

Without Children What a boring and depressing world this would be without children! Just think, there would be no need for lollipops, cotton candy or licorice. Ponies would be out of work. amusement parks with carousels would be obsolete. Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny would have to retire. And nobody would care when a baby robin fell out of its nest. Infectious giggles would never be heard, and ¢peek-a-boo¢ would disappear from the English language. If there were no children, who would make grandparents smile, who would play pat-a cake, and who would try to whistle with crackers in his mouth? Balloons would never pop, mild would rarely spill, and sticky hands from chocolate bars would be a thing of the past. Without children there would be no use for toy trains, dolls that walk and talk, or Jack-in-the-Box. Barney the Purple Dinosaur would have no one to hug, and Kermit the Frog would just turn green and die. Caterpillars wouldn§t get stroked, and turtles would never get to sleep in the house. All in all, life would be a real drag. Let§s face it, children are the essence of life. They are joy and love personified. From "On Raising Children" Mary Hollingsworth

Maybe it's because they are still short and close to the ground or maybe their senses have not yet been dulled by the years but to children days seem longer, smells stronger, colors brighter, noises louder, fun more fun.
Children need love, especially when they don't deserve it.
"Where children are, there is the golden age."
Your children need your presence more than your presents.
While we try to teach our children about life, our children teach us what life is about.
Learn laughter from little children by thinking their thoughts, dreaming their dreams, and playing their games.

We are apt to forget that children watch examples better than they listen to preaching.

It's a good thing God made children in washable sizes.
Kiss your children Goodnight.... Even if they are all ready asleep.
If we don't stand up for children, then we don't stand for much.

To a mother children are like ideas; none are as wonderful as her own.

Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children. Children make your life important.
Children are not puppets. They are wonderfully complex, and that's what makes raising them so rewarding and so challenging.
Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.
You will never understand children If you belittle their qualities
Nothing you do for Children...... is ever wasted.
Praise your Children and they will Blossom! ***

Our Children are living messages we send to a time and place we will not see!

Love your children with all your hearts, love them enough to discipline them before it is too late. . . Praise them for important things, even if you have to stretch them a bit. Praise them a lot. They live on it like bread and butter and they need it more than bread and butter.

In the eyes of children we find the joy of Christmas. In their hearts we find its meaning.

Children are not things to be molded, but are people to be unfolded.

* Failure

"Our task is to become our best selves. One of God's greatest gifts to us is the joy of trying again, for no failure ever need be final."

Thomas S. Monson

Stop Cell Phone Calls

REMEMBER: Cell Phone Numbers Go Public this month.

REMINDER.... all cell phone numbers are being released to telemarketing companies and you will start to receive sales calls..... YOU WILL BE CHARGED FOR THESE CALLSTo prevent this, call the following number from your cell phone: 888-382-1222.It is the National DO NOT CALL list. I

t will only take a minute of your time. It blocks your number for five (5) years. You must call from the cell phone number want to have blocked. You cannot call from a different phone number.

* How Did the Human Race Appear?

A little girl asked her mother: 'How did the human race appear?' The mother answered, 'God made Adam and Eve;they had children; and so was all mankind made.' Two days later the girl asked her father the same question. The father answered, 'Many years ago there were monkeys from which the human race evolved.' The confused girl returned to her mother and said, 'Mum, how is it possible that you told me the human race was created by God, and Dad said they developed from monkeys?'The mother answered, 'Well, Dear, it is very simple. I told you about my side of the family, and your father told you about his.'