Zenplicity – a new approach to life and writing

Out with the old, in the with the new. Ironic, isn’t it, that this is an “old” adage but not one that we should toss aside.

The past couple of weeks have been a blur, as they always are – every year, without fail. I find myself caught in the retail frenzy, holiday party madness – a whirling dervish of festivity.

And like most major events, a quiet descends after the hullaballoo. It’s this quiet time that I cherish and find productive. After we usher in the new year, all sparkling and shining with hope. After we say our goodbyes to the old year and all the memories – the good and the bad, the hollow and fulfilling, the happiness and sadness. We physically sort gifts into their proper spots, we mentally file away what we learned and experienced.

Fresh in the calm after the storm, I relish a new perspective – of simplicity and release.

It’s simple to think how much control we have over ourselves – how we think and feel. It’s complicated when we try to exert some sort of control over anyone else. Better to realize that we have no control over what people do, say, think, and feel. We can influence, guide, counsel, advise, hope and pray…but we can’t control what happens in anyone else’s world but our own.  With this view, I’ve come to release myself from the burden of control over others.

With this release, I can focus on what I can do, think, say, and feel. The power of simplicity, I’m hoping, will quell the chaotic, anxious thoughts that bounce around between my ears and keep me from doing the things I love – writing, creating, learning.

I hope that this simplicity will quiet my mind and conscience and open a new approach to writing. A zen approach to writing and to life – a sort of “zenplicity” if you will.