{"id":9988,"date":"2015-02-21T15:50:10","date_gmt":"2015-02-21T20:50:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/?p=9988"},"modified":"2015-02-21T15:50:10","modified_gmt":"2015-02-21T20:50:10","slug":"lists-writing-and-cleaning-the-minds-house","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/beginnersheart\/2015\/02\/lists-writing-and-cleaning-the-minds-house.html","title":{"rendered":"lists, writing, and cleaning the mind’s house"},"content":{"rendered":"

 <\/p>\n

\"via<\/a>
via wikicommons<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve visualised my mind as an old house. And lately it seems more like a house that needs a LOT of TLC — re: it’s \u00a0kind of a mess.<\/p>\n

So when the facilitator at the writing retreat I’m at today asked us to ‘make a list’ to begin our morning, I couldn’t imagine where to start. I finally just wrote down a list of what’s on my mind, ranging from the rats<\/a>\u00a0(the RATS!) to my beloved’s health to new ink pens to moving. It was all over the place.<\/p>\n

Here’s the thing about writing (at least for me, and most of the folks I know): it’s therapy of the best kind. Like cooking (another great therapy), you have a product at the end of the process. But the process in itself is great — you get to fiddle w\/ words, maybe draw or doodle something to go with, and in the end, if you’re lucky (and persevere), you have something to show for it.<\/p>\n

How cool is that?<\/p>\n

\"the<\/a>
the author’s<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As I wrote down what was on my mind, I began to see how much I worry. I worry about everything<\/i>, folks: my sons & daughter-in-law, my beloved, the bees, stuff that hasn’t even happened yet! Sister Ellie — an Episcopal nun who leads a wonderful local meditation class — would call it ‘building crap castles.’ And she is so right. My mind’s house is full of… RATS! And the dust bunnies of worries, half-formed fears, irritations.<\/p>\n

But when I write them down? Somehow both their fear factor and my feeling of helplessness are lessened. I can see that aging IS inexorable. And no, I can’t <\/i>fix these things. And yet… and yet… When I write them down, they are reduced to scale. They don’t dominate<\/i>\u00a0me. I can breathe again, and walk quietly around the uncluttered rooms of my thoughts.<\/p>\n

This won’t work for everyone, I know. But I’m nudging you — ever so gently — to try it. It’s just a list, folks. Who knows where that writing may lead you? Or just how it may heal you? Isn’t that worth the gamble of a couple of minutes?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve visualised my mind as an old house. And lately it seems more like a house that needs a LOT of TLC — re: it’s \u00a0kind of a mess. So when the facilitator at the writing retreat I’m at today asked us to ‘make a list’ to…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":398,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[11,1181,1187,262,1201],"class_list":["post-9988","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-writing","tag-beginners-heart","tag-britton-gildersleeve","tag-buddhism","tag-buddhist-blogs","tag-writing"],"yoast_head":"\nlists, writing, and cleaning the mind's house - Beginner's Heart<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"  Ever since I was a little girl, I've visualised my mind as an old house. 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