A moment of your own
We feel great pleasure when we serve others. When we enable their business. When we fix their broken things. When we ship their orders. When we do their chores at home.We feel great pleasure when we are in the service of others. It provides sustenance. For the body, yes, shipments and businesses and things that work give value, which in today’s world means revenue. But also for the soul. Giving is receiving. For some of us, there really is no surplus time, when we engage into all of that. We put the hours down, and well, the numbers don’t add up.
Yet the soul does not live in the world of natural numbers, nor does it obey the rhythm of the crystal quartz that lives inside in every clock. The soul awakens in play and in filial feast. It becomes wide-eyed and alive amidst deep forests and beach fires. It is energised by silly robots made from tin cans and Arduinos. It is fascinated by the patterns of paint and pebble. How long ago was the knowledge of all of this simply apparent ? In growing up and dutifully serving others, we have forgotten this.
Last week we published an article on how to manage your personal hobby projects with WordPress. But the everyday worry of the modern world and of our future in it, slowly corrodes our ability to wonder. Our hobbies and interests start to secretly and insidiously, obey the rules of logic and practicality. Of career. Of trend. Of what other people think it is important. Their vital roots, become hijacked by “what we are supposed to be doing”.
“I design websites, so in my spare time I’m learning X”
“I write code, so in my spare time I’m learning Y”
“Machine learning is really popular right now, and I’m worried that I’m becoming obsolete.”
Say Yes
This moment, whether it lasts 10 minutes, or 30, or 1 hour, is for once, about yourself and only yourself. When you ask “Why?” and the answer is not “Because” but a brief burst of sudden joyful expanse inside your chest, you will have witnessed it. A wonderment.
It does not matter that the hours don’t add up. This moment, when realised, is like an atomic explosion. It lasts microseconds, yet it releases the energy of the Sun. When you give permission to your inner child, everything opens-up. It is not merely sustenance, it is renewal.
So say yes to the cardboard box of crayons or to that whacky electronics book you’ve been meaning to open since ages ago. Begin with an inner “Yes”, and see. Continue with one page, one doodle, one something. Do not say I do not have time. Do not say it is 500 pages long. I know you do not have time, I know that it is 500 pages long. Just say “Yes”, even for one moment. Because this one moment is yours, and only yours.
Happy Passover to all.
