Often times, I find myself encountering my life as being measured by various seemingly pivotal events, like graduating from college, moving to a new house, or reorganizing the kitchen cupboards, as if the events are like crossing a finish line. And for the most part the emphasis of getting there is frequently experienced as a tunnel. All energies are focused on getting to the end of the tunnel because as soon as I am there life begins again. As soon as I graduate I will have more time to exercise, as soon as I move to this new house I will have more time to spend writing, as soon as … Important aspects of life, like general health, relationships and fun, get put on hold until I get from point A to point B.
Working for the weekend or a vacation can give us hope for time off to relax and enjoy ourselves. It allows us to know there is light at the end of the tunnel – that it will be better as soon as this happens. I am not sure if by doing this, it allows us to be more focused at tasks at hand, or it is an illusion. That really there is no such thing as getting there, that life is a series of events and once one is completed another is there to fill it’s place. The element that disturbs me is tasks will always appear, the house needs to be cleaned, the project at work will be replaced by another project. And before we know it, the important elements of our life, health and relationships, don’t seem to be as important.
Inevitably life brings us projects or times when our lives are tunnel focused. I am not sure if this is the way our society is set up, or some people have more of propensity to be like this, but I wonder how life can be more holistic? That in order to stay focused on one area, that basic self care like healthy eating and exercise is a mandatory part of the process.
How do we establish our base-line of priorities? Knowing that we need to eat a certain way and be physically active and feel connected to people to be productive. That our task or project becomes an aspect of our lives, but not the central force.