Opening confession: I’m writing this as much for me as I am for you, readers.  I had intentions of writing about resilience today because it’s been a recurring theme for a bit. Instead, you’ll have to read about it next week.

This morning as I was listening to the weekly dharma message from Susan Piver, her focus was on simplicity in our meditation. As I listened to her incredibly simple (and brief) message, I realized that as I go into a week that is always characterized by absolute pandemonium, simplicity is exactly what I need to focus on right now. If I’m 100% honest, simplicity has probably been a sub-theme for the last couple of weeks for me.  I’ve noticed that I have unintentionally been laser-focused on getting some tasks (which may or may not have been procrastinated upon!) finished; many of them are tasks that involved things cluttering my house and my creative space.  It felt really good to get those things done and get the associated “stuff” out of my way.

So, simplicity.  It seems like an oxymoron if you look at my schedule this week, particularly for the next 2-3 days. I’ve got multiple times that I’m supposed to be multiple places. Yes, I know that I haven’t been cloned (yet), which means I’m going to have to make thoughtful choices and then embrace them. Those choices will absolutely be based upon what is most meaningful to me, and if you’re with me this week you may see me making some tardy entries and early exits. I emphasize the issue about things being meaningful “to me” because that also means that I have time blocked into my schedule to run and for some yoga…because those things are meaningful to me (and, quite candidly, no one wants to be around me if they don’t happen).

I can’t fix the fact that I have chosen these things that will make me intensely busy the next few days, but I can choose how to best manage that busyness. I can be present in the moment (another choice), I can turn off for a few minutes every day (even 5 minutes helps, right?), and I can be grateful (this morning while walking Olivia I reminded myself, “You CHOSE this. And how fortunate you are to have been able to do so.”).

Who’s with me?  Let’s be simple together.

“The key to finding a happy balance in modern life is simplicity.”- Tibetan Book of Living and Dying