Summer time,
and the livin’ is easy…
or is it?
Wanna play a bit more? Lighten up?
(What would keep me from playing?)
"I should work more."
How do you react when you believe that thought?
Guilty,
unworthy,
see me as lazy,
images of when I was a “stay-at-home-mom”
image of my sister-in-law distancing herself from my sister on disability
image of people looking down on people who “live off the government”
image of hearing “work hard” in school
image of my dad working “hard”,
my mom working “hard”
my ex-husband, daughter…
But is it true
that I should work more (harder)?
Can I really know that that is true for me
(in this moment)?
No.
It feels truer that I should get still.
Come Home.
Breathe.
Simply be.
Relax.
This feels much truer.
I see there is no urgency to “act”.
This feels clearer.
I am not in anybody else’s business.
I am not in the future or in the past.
This feels kind.
I see I am kind.
What would I be without the thought,
“I should work more?”
Present.
I feel the barely there breeze on my cheek.
I hear the sounds outside.
TA1. I shouldn’t work more
beCause I didn’t sit still and allow inspiration.
I wasn’t silent so I could listen and be told, given
exactly what to say, do, write.
I didn’t invite/hold any open Space for guidance.
I didn’t sit and get clear.
2. I shouldn’t work more--
I should play more.
This definitely feels truer!
I should be more playful.
I immediately feel energized.
I should not be so serious,
not make such a big deal out of it (give it all that meaning!)
I love to play.
It’s given, natural—not work/not effort.
It’s the most natural thing in the world.
No one needs to teach me how to do it.
It’s spontaneous and free.
Play is so in the moment, for no reason, for no outcome.
I should improvise, experiment.
Just put it out there—whatever excites me!
Improvise—One step at a time…
I love this.
This lights me up!
I feel alive and excited.
What a friendly universe!
3. It’s not that I should work more, but that I want to work more.
There is no “have to”. No moral judgment. No command. No standard.
Service is a blessing to me.
I want to work more
because it is rewarding.
I love working with people.
I love doing The Work.
I love identifying thoughts.
i love holding the Space for people and holding them in the situation.
I love this willingness and witnessing the courage, humility and absolute sameness we all are.
"I should work more." Are you sure?
Next time this thought shows up maybe you can actually play
with the dishes, the writing, the inquiry, the drive, the cleaning, the creation…
whatever it is
and see what happens…
How can I take the work out of work?
How can I take the work out of The Work?
Remember it’s all a play…
we look back at the stage,
the scenery
the spotlights, the main character,
what were the lines…?
the costumes?
what was our script?
what did the critic think of that scene?
what would that scene look like without a critic?
And when it comes to the turnarounds
we try things on…
and see if they fit
there is no forcing,
no cramming our foot into the glass slipper…
we give ourselves plenty of time…
there are no deadlines!
no pressure
no grades
no comparison with others
no boss watching over me
just me and all the children
and I’ve got all the time in the world
to play with them—one at a time.
Isn’t that really what children do naturally?
Oh yeah, and they also love jokes?!
Children can say really funny things.
Working with a client the other day,
she couldn’t stop laughing
when I asked her who she would be in that situation
without that thought…when she saw how ridiculous she had been (with the thought).
One of my living turnarounds here is going to be offering some more opportunities to
combine drawing with the Work this summer. I’ll be sending information out, but feel free to let me know if you’re interested...
I’m also doing more singing and drawing... and will just see what else arises out of this Playful Space…the space of not knowing
and not needing to know…nothing to know...
“He who binds to himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in Eternity’s sun rise.”
William Blake
"No one has to (follow the simple direction,)
and this is a game of finding out what happens
if you do…” Katie
Would love to hear any of your thoughts, insights, fears, turnarounds, examples, or experience in playing with this.
EnJoy.
Love, Joy
and the livin’ is easy…
or is it?
Wanna play a bit more? Lighten up?
(What would keep me from playing?)
"I should work more."
How do you react when you believe that thought?
Guilty,
unworthy,
see me as lazy,
images of when I was a “stay-at-home-mom”
image of my sister-in-law distancing herself from my sister on disability
image of people looking down on people who “live off the government”
image of hearing “work hard” in school
image of my dad working “hard”,
my mom working “hard”
my ex-husband, daughter…
But is it true
that I should work more (harder)?
Can I really know that that is true for me
(in this moment)?
No.
It feels truer that I should get still.
Come Home.
Breathe.
Simply be.
Relax.
This feels much truer.
I see there is no urgency to “act”.
This feels clearer.
I am not in anybody else’s business.
I am not in the future or in the past.
This feels kind.
I see I am kind.
What would I be without the thought,
“I should work more?”
Present.
I feel the barely there breeze on my cheek.
I hear the sounds outside.
TA1. I shouldn’t work more
beCause I didn’t sit still and allow inspiration.
I wasn’t silent so I could listen and be told, given
exactly what to say, do, write.
I didn’t invite/hold any open Space for guidance.
I didn’t sit and get clear.
2. I shouldn’t work more--
I should play more.
This definitely feels truer!
I should be more playful.
I immediately feel energized.
I should not be so serious,
not make such a big deal out of it (give it all that meaning!)
I love to play.
It’s given, natural—not work/not effort.
It’s the most natural thing in the world.
No one needs to teach me how to do it.
It’s spontaneous and free.
Play is so in the moment, for no reason, for no outcome.
I should improvise, experiment.
Just put it out there—whatever excites me!
Improvise—One step at a time…
I love this.
This lights me up!
I feel alive and excited.
What a friendly universe!
3. It’s not that I should work more, but that I want to work more.
There is no “have to”. No moral judgment. No command. No standard.
Service is a blessing to me.
I want to work more
because it is rewarding.
I love working with people.
I love doing The Work.
I love identifying thoughts.
i love holding the Space for people and holding them in the situation.
I love this willingness and witnessing the courage, humility and absolute sameness we all are.
"I should work more." Are you sure?
Next time this thought shows up maybe you can actually play
with the dishes, the writing, the inquiry, the drive, the cleaning, the creation…
whatever it is
and see what happens…
How can I take the work out of work?
How can I take the work out of The Work?
Remember it’s all a play…
we look back at the stage,
the scenery
the spotlights, the main character,
what were the lines…?
the costumes?
what was our script?
what did the critic think of that scene?
what would that scene look like without a critic?
And when it comes to the turnarounds
we try things on…
and see if they fit
there is no forcing,
no cramming our foot into the glass slipper…
we give ourselves plenty of time…
there are no deadlines!
no pressure
no grades
no comparison with others
no boss watching over me
just me and all the children
and I’ve got all the time in the world
to play with them—one at a time.
Isn’t that really what children do naturally?
Oh yeah, and they also love jokes?!
Children can say really funny things.
Working with a client the other day,
she couldn’t stop laughing
when I asked her who she would be in that situation
without that thought…when she saw how ridiculous she had been (with the thought).
One of my living turnarounds here is going to be offering some more opportunities to
combine drawing with the Work this summer. I’ll be sending information out, but feel free to let me know if you’re interested...
I’m also doing more singing and drawing... and will just see what else arises out of this Playful Space…the space of not knowing
and not needing to know…nothing to know...
“He who binds to himself a joy
Doth the winged life destroy;
But he who kisses the joy as it flies
Lives in Eternity’s sun rise.”
William Blake
"No one has to (follow the simple direction,)
and this is a game of finding out what happens
if you do…” Katie
Would love to hear any of your thoughts, insights, fears, turnarounds, examples, or experience in playing with this.
EnJoy.
Love, Joy