Have you noticed how easily your mind can lead you on journeys that are tangents to the present moment of your life? Perhaps you hear something and it triggers a journey down memory lane – pleasant, but it prevents the report you are writing from being completed. Perhaps you overhear part of a conversation and begin wondering what the entire conversation is about – interesting, but it doesn’t necessarily increase your understanding or empathy towards others. Perhaps something isn’t going as you planned… and you start predicting scenarios of disaster. Perhaps you approach a task with lack of self-confidence or with self-doubt… and your mind starts exploring what could go wrong.
All such thought journeys leave us tired, and we rarely enjoy them. The power to pack up gives you the opportunity to start the journey in the manner and direction you would like. You take that moment before you set out to pick out what you would like to take with you, those things that are both essential and enjoyable to your well being. It is pausing to check along the way that I am going in the direction that I wish to be going. Do I need to take a U turn on my feelings and emotions to realign them with my values or do I simply just need to adjust my values? It is making sure that you are not tired before you start the journey, and if you are you stop and refresh your mind first.
Power to pack up is about being essenceful, appreciating and staying aware of what you have easy access to help you along your way. It is acknowledging that something has no more use for you and so can be packed up. As the saying goes “out of sight, out of mind.” In short it is a process of keeping the mind light and easy.
Power to pack up is cleaning away and putting away all that I have used that I no longer need. This way nothing leaves a mark or impression on my mind. Then my mind is clear and ready to start afresh each time – like a blank sheet of paper. I can recall memories but they don’t cloud out the newness of the present, leaving me free to explore this moment fully. Packing up at the end of a day finishes the day, leaving you with a feeling of a job well done. This way, my mind increases its treasure of contentment which develops a reserve of inner strength that I can call on the following day. Packing up becomes a conscious choice of moving on. It is acceptance. It is learning to look ahead without having unrealistic expectations of the self or others. It’s looking forward knowing you have something ahead of you that you will enjoy and learn from. It is trust in the goodness of life.
