is the possibility that the door-to-door water

Mindfulness and Clarity: What's In Your Pot?
No matter how enthusiastically we embrace the
concept of simplifying our lives, things have a
way of getting complicated.
Perfect example: My family sold nearly everything
and moved to Mazatlan, Mexico to explore living
with less stuff and more fun. And it's been working
beautifully. It's amazing how much less there is to
worry about when, well, you have less.
Here's my favorite equation:
6 people (4.5 drivers) x 0 cars =
0 car insurance/maintenance/gas/worries
about being on the road
Now, that's some beautiful math.
Still, despite the simplicity of our daily routine,
we all find little irritants to magnify.
In fact, we laugh every day about the ridiculous
things we find to stress about. It's as though
we NEED a bit of agitation--or we're still weaning
ourselves from the go-go habit--so we stir it up
from the dumbest things. And precisely because
we have so few of these little stressors,or more likely die right there on the spot., they
are easy to see--and laugh about,5685 Ugg Fox Fur Short Chocolate Boots.
We joke about the fact that the thing my
husband is most likely to get stressed about
is the possibility that the door-to-door water
bottle delivery guy--who comes on Tuesdays
and Saturdays--MIGHT come a day late,
necessitating a block-long walk to the
corner tienda to pick up an extra bottle.
Bottled water is important, as our tap water is not
drinkable here in Mexico. In fact, there are days
when it comes out brown--which does wonders
for a load of white laundry,in simple words it helps ordinary people achieve extra ordinary dreams., let me tell you.
Now, it is true that one time the water bottle
delivery guy missed a Tuesday delivery.
And yes, we ALMOST had to to get water.
ALMOST. But not quite. We had enough.
Whew. That was a close one.
Another classic example: when we run out of
coffee. If Tom notices that we have no more
grounds in the bag in our freezer that morning,
he makes a loud mental note that goes something
along the lines of: "Dang it! We have to remember
to get coffee today."
Several times during the day, he'll say, "Okay,
after lunch, maybe we can go out and get coffee"
or "Let's pick up some coffee on the way to Spanish
class."
The place where we buy coffee is El Faro, a
corner-facing storefront at which you walk up and
get your espresso or ground coffee at the counter.
It is located approximately 50 yards from our
front gate,* ... Is this the best place for your focus.
Now, to be fair, Tom still has plenty of Real-World
worries. He is, after all, the father of four teenage
daughters. He runs a company--virtually--with
hundreds of customers/vendors. He has college
bills to consider, kids scattered around the
globe, and a fair number of extended family
issues that arise.
But the daily stuff that used to fill our minds
and suck our energy? That's gone. Or, if not
gone, then replaced by trivial things like worrying
about the water guy.
The value of simplicity is that it leads to clarity.
It's as though you've got a big soup pot on the
stove. You can fill it will all kinds of things,
concocting a thick stew. Or, you can simmer a
broth and add a few carefully chosen ingredients.
Now, the stew is rich and hearty. It's also thick
and you've got to keep stirring it or else
there is going to be something burning
on the bottom. It's so thick, in fact, that you
can't really see everything at once--just whatever
you happen to stir up toward the top.
The broth, on the other hand, is clear. You can
see right through it to every chunk of potato. It
is simple to see that nothing is burning on the
bottom. You don't have to do a lot of stirring
because it's all right there, easy to watch.
The stew has its advantages, sure. It's more
complex and meatier. But it's also very
time-consuming, both in preparing the ingredients
and in maintaining (stirring) it.
The broth is clear and simple. It's very satisfying
in a different way, because you can really appreciate
the flavors of the few things you've added. It's easy
to make and takes no stirring.
So, the question is: are you cooking broth
or stew?
If you're looking for clarity, consider the value of
going for the broth. It makes life so much easier.
We're seeing our soup quite clearly these days,
and we're appreciating every tasty bite. When
the "coffee" potato or the "water guy" potato
shows up, at least we can see it for what it is
and there's no danger that it will stick to the
bottom and ruin the flavor of the whole pot.
Consider simplifying your soup, and you'll be
creating room for clarity, comfort and comic
relief--and plenty of time to remember to get
coffee.