The road to heaven is paved with good intentions.

I baked a cake several years ago to bring to a friend who had just lost his wife. I put love into this simple gift as I added each ingredient and with each stirring of the batter and as I carefully wrapped the cake to deliver. This gift intended to reduce his suffering through its sweetness, even if only in one bite. This simple cake was clearly intended as an act of love. I can't say that all my actions are altruistic. I want to be that way but often I am swayed by other drives such as greed, wanting recognition, power, fear, and obligation. I intend for my actions to be motivated by goodness, graciousness, kindness and love. With so many demands I often become irritated, short tempered and even with best intentions for action based on goodness, my gifts of service are not seen or become hurtful as I become angry and frustrated with all that needs to be done. My joy in doing good is lost in my over commitment. Today, I will slow down, I will do what I can do, and do it with a heart intended to love. P.S., I am deeply grateful for the God I know who greets me at the end of the road, paved with my "good intentions", and loves me anyway.

Monks in the city

Monks in the city is a group I became familiar with through my friend Pierre. In Paris, there are a group of young people who work regular jobs/careers during the day and in the evening and morning share prayer and meals together. This morning while on my prayerful walk/jog, I just was thinking about how hectic life is and that I often want to join a monastery and just pray. However, as quickly as the next step came this thought as if a message from God "take action" live fully do not hide. So alas, I shall remain a monk in the city and work, and pray, and take action. Tonight I shall visit the poor through the vocation with the St. Vincent de Paul Society.

Simplification through physical space management

I am continuing the conversation around simplification. Many articles I have read suggest that simplification comes from organizing homes and work spaces, reducing clutter, eliminating excess and streamlining the flow of life. We all know in our mind that these are things we should do but where do we start. These are tips for today for simplication through physical space management.
Organizing Work Space: Start with your purse/brief case
Is your purse or briefcase loaded down, heavy and have such things as old tissue, candies or other matter that can be tossed. Clean it out!
Reducing Clutter: Now go to your desk top either home or office
Find one or two pieces of paper on your desk that you can either file, pay or toss, finding the first two items leads to the desire to do several more. Inertia says a body in motion stays in motion so move those arms and get rid of paper!
Eliminating Excess: Look in your fridge.
Hmm, surprising to most people is the fridge, filled with many old sauces, containers and food stuff that you needed for one recipe and have never touched again. Here you have two choices - either toss or pull out the old recipe and make it again. How much excess do we have in kitchen cupboards and refrigerators that cause a lack of inspiration for cooking and we end up eating junk!
Streamlining the flow of life: Stay the course
Just for today while driving just stay in one lane, no merging between lanes to bypass traffic, just stay the course. While this is true for driving, try it also for handling email; just respond to email one at a time and experience simplification as you stay the course!
These basics begin to move us into the direction of simplification. What you will discover is that as you take these simple steps, you will free space both physical space in your purse, on your desk, in your fridge and in your computer. This physical space somehow opens the heart space for more inspiration and freedom.

Simplification

Learning to say yes to what matters most. The first step in simplifying life is to know what you value and what you value most. In understanding what you value, you know when to say yes and when to say no. Learning when to say yes or no, is one of the main keys of simplifying life. Often people might say, "just say no" and this will help you reduce your commitments. However, that method often creates guilt which adds to our mental baggage and these no's create more stress. As we learn to say yes to what matters most, we experience more joy and begin to create a more simplified life.
I am inspired to write about this as I have learned first hand that simplifying my life comes from really committing oneself to things of most importance and saying no to those things that use up time and are incongruent with what we value. For today, write at least 3 things you value most? The three things I value most are my faith, family, and friends. My choices today, my yes or my no, will be based on how the requests for my time support my faith, family and friends.