Zen Things

I've had a screenshot of a list titled "Zen Things" sitting on the desktop of my computer for a while now. I loved the concept....but I wanted to adapt the list to better suit me.  So today I used some of theirs and added some of mine and came up with:

Joyful Puttering's Zen Things

1.  Do one thing at a time

(doesn't mean you can't have several things in the works...

just be present with the current thing)  

2.  Do it slowly and deliberately

3.  Do less...more thoughtfully and thoroughly

4. Create time and space between things

5. Foster creative daily practice and rituals

6.  Let yourself get lost in the exploring and learning 

7.  Go where inspiration takes you

8.  Keep it simple

9.  Make the mundane meditative and meaningful

10,  Look for joy...always look for and celebrate joy

The inspiration list had 12 things....but since zen is a play on ten....I thought that was the right number....for me.  😉

Keep in mind that I don't always do these things....but I'm working on it.

This morning as I was working outside in Lexington....I tried to make the yard chores meditative and meaningful.  One of things I did was finally knock down an old wasp nest hanging under our patio roof.  It was tiny....and I'd been looking at it all season  often thinking..."I should get that down."

It was paper thin....so quite fragile.  I carefully picked it up and flipped it over...

....and the magic presented itself.

   

I had a hard time holding it without crushing it so I grabbed a little pottery piece from the kitchen so I could examine it more closely.

Simple...special...slow.....one of those happy zen things.