September. Back to school. Long shopping lists before school starts. Then, the first week creates another list of specific supplies needed. The whole family adjusts to the school schedule. And after school programs. After a rather open summer, life is really busy.
Even if there is no one in school in the household, September gets busy. Programs that took a summer hiatus ramp up. Things we let slide while in holiday mode get picked up. We have to keep checking the calendar to make sure we don't miss something. And then there is the list as long as your arm of things that have to get done before the snow flies.
This is an easy month to feel harried and hassled. So how do we keep grounded and centred in a busy
This fall, I am playing with the idea of pinning a thought to the top of my to do list. At a gathering Sunday night, I gave out a small file card and a clothes pin paper clip and invited people to ponder what value, idea, or message they needed to pin to the top of their list in order to keep the whole of life in perspective.
What thought could you pin to your calendar or to the list on the fridge to help you sort our what is important for your life?
From the written sayings of Jesus there are a couple suggestions. I am paraphrasing here, but when asked what was most important, he once answered: Love God with everything you are, and love your neighbour as yourself. The to do list shifts when we make the goal of love the measure of our choices.
Another time he said that if we first seek God's vision and purpose, presence and justice, everything else will fall into place. Different things rise to the top when peace and justice are our top priority.
When I asked this question on Sunday, someone said that what they remember is that in the darkest times God is with them; in the extremities of life, God is with them; in every day and every ordinary moment, God is there. I think this helps them not to worry so much.
Perhaps you would choose the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have them do to you." A modification of this rule that I appreciate goes like this: "do unto others as they would have you do to them." This helps me to to look with compassion, to understand what approach puts them at ease. Not everyone likes a hug or a handshake. An approach that honours their personal space and their cultural practice honours them.
Parallel to the golden rule, is the "Green Rule" teaching us to keep in creation in mind at all times. (I drew from the Faith and the Common Good website for this) From a Buddhist perspective, this might be "cut down the forest of desire, not the forest of trees." From a Bahá'í tradition, "Know that every created thing is a sign of the revelation of God." Our priorities change when we keep in mind walking as softly and respectfully as we can in creation.
In the complex world we live in and the bustling fall season, the teaching of Laozi challenges the priorities on our list: "Simplicity, patience, compassion. These three are your greatest treasures. Simple in actions and thoughts, you return to the source of being. Patient with both friends and enemies, you are in accord with the way things are. Compassionate toward yourself, you reconcile all beings in the world."
It is another of his sayings that I will pin to my list: "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." This reminds me that I can only take one step at a time. I need to focus on this step right now. I have to wait for the destination. Too often, I am looking at what I need to accomplish, the place that might be ten thousand steps from here. When I do that, I cannot see how I will get there. If I pay attention to the step I am taking, the journey becomes possible.
Cathy Hird is a farmer, minister, and writer living near Walters Falls.
