Life IS the daily tasks

Aaron and I painted my office today.

Usually when we do house projects, we both get really anxious and cranky. I’ve always thought it was because we were afraid to mess up our house, so we felt pressured. (That is definitely part of it, though we are slowly letting that go.)

However, the bigger part for me is my tendency to think of tasks (cleaning, cooking, home improvement, errands, etc.) as the stuff I do in between actually living my life. I do them as fast as I can to check them off the list and get back to my “actual life” rather than enjoying those little moments.

For some reason, today felt different.

I used all the painting tasks as a way to settle into my own body. As I taped the trim and windows, I let myself slow down and take as long as I needed. And it actually felt really good.

It finally dawned on me, “Oh, these little tasks ARE my life, duh.” A huge breakthrough because I think I tapped into mindfulness not only with my mind, but my body! (Historically, this has been super hard for me to do unless I’m working on a creative project.)

I’'ll try to practice this more. It feels important. And I’ll definitely have a chance as I have a lot to do to finish my office. More on that soon!