If you read much about our hunter/gatherer ancestors you will inevitably see a discussion about how much free time they had. It certainly doesn’t feel like this is the case anymore.
Part of the difficulty of living in our modern world is all the stuff we have to do.
We have to get out of bed, make breakfast, take a shower, pack a lunch, drive to work, go home, mow the lawn, clean the kitchen, do laundry, feed the kids, straighten the house, attend weddings and birthday parties and social functions. We have to pay our bills and prepare our taxes and get our phone fixed and go to kids’ soccer games and plays and recitals. I could fill up dozens of blog posts just talking about the things we have to do.
Except that none of it is true.
We don’t have to do any of these things. Not a single one of them.
There is only one thing we have to do, and that’s die someday.
All these other things are choices, no matter how coerced or forced they feel.
We choose to go to work so that we can be productive or just to pay our bills.
We choose to take care of our house because we care about our living environment or because it’s a habit or because we think it’s the right thing to do.
We choose to participate in social events because we realize they are important or because we let ourselves feel obligated or because deep down we enjoy them.
We choose to feed our kids because it’s our job or because we don’t want CPS at our house or maybe even because we love them.
The why doesn’t so much matter, the fact that we are choosing these things does.
It’s important because when we start to feel like we are forced or controlled or that our whole life is dictated, we become unhappy and depressed and anxious.
Recognizing our power to choose changes our relationship to everything.
Have a great day.
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