The Flow

A woman was telling me about her current organizational challenge and if she could just get that straight, maybe everything would stay that way. But I've learned that is a myth. Nothing stays in order without maintenance. Even if you're single and living alone, dust still collects and things must be put back where they belong. With kids, it's never-ending. The maintenance that is consistent takes less and less time but consistency is the key.

I think we are in this desperate search for "the flow." This mysterious place where everything is easy. Sounds great in theory. If only we can declutter, organize, plan enough to get to that place. But is that really where we want to be?

My exercise routine was sporadic last year but I did go enough to strengthen my muscles. So much so that I needed to up my weights to feel any resistance. I thought about how we don't want easy in exercise. The burn and the occasional soreness is a sign that our muscles are rebuilding to be stronger. What if we applied that same logic to other areas of our lives?

Now, I'm all for working smarter and not harder. I also don't think we should make things unnecessarily difficult. But what if we applied the consistency and ever-increasing difficulty of exercise to other areas of life? Faith? Homeschooling? Homemaking? Hobbies? Fellowship? Parenting? What if searching for the easy way has resulted in flabby characters, minds and souls?

I wonder.

So how do we up the ante in these other areas? Establish a new habit. Expand an existing habit. Learn a new skill. Get out of our comfort zones. Feel the burn.

If we discount "the flow" as a mythical and undesirable place, does that change the attitude with which we tackle the work of today? Work that is necessary. Work that will be there 10, 20, or 30 years down the road although in a more efficient pattern as we grow stronger. Would I feel less defeated when things don't go as perfectly as I think they should? After all, I have a lifetime to make it better.