In chapter 2 of Take Your Time, Easwaran has been giving us a list of ways to get started with our practice of slowing down, with each being a skill he says will grow through practice. This week let’s read pages 42–48, which includes Easwaran’s “red pencil” exercise:
“Long ago, when I began to see the benefits of meditation, I wanted to be sure I made time for it every day. But I couldn’t see how I could fit it in. I had an extremely busy schedule, with responsibilities from early morning until late at night.
“I valued all this, but I was determined to make meditation a top priority. So I sat down and made a list of all the things I felt bound to do.
“Then I took my red pencil and crossed out everything that was not actually necessary or beneficial. Some of the results surprised me. I found I had been involved in activities that I couldn’t honestly say benefited anyone, including myself. I had simply become used to doing them. When I surveyed what remained, I found I had freed a number of hours every week.”
Read this article as if you and Easwaran are having a conversation. What advice does he give you, and how can you apply it this week?
We are working on slowing down, using the ideas and suggestions from Take Your Time. This week try the “red pencil” exercise, described on pages 44–45 and in the excerpt above.
For our spiritual treat, we are pleased to share the next excerpt from the Easwaran video “The Other Shore.” Note that the full video is 26 minutes, but the excerpt goes from 5:09 – 12:25 and the player should start and stop automatically at those times. We’ll share the next segment of this video next week. Of course, you are welcome to watch more now as well.