For The Love Of The Practice

 

Life is a practice.

One moment after the next, we are given another breath – another opportunity to practice the life of our choosing.

And while the definition itself would lead us to believe that we are practicing for something, in order to achieve something, I choose to look at the practice itself as the purpose.

After all, have you ever practiced repeatedly for something and reached your goal (congratulations!) – only to have life still march on? Or perhaps you spent months working towards something which didn’t come to fruition – and life still continued. A practice done for the purpose of the practice is never done.

If we are in the habit of practicing for something else, we miss out on the vibrant beauty of the practice itself.

I once heard a podcast in which the guest was an avid climber. She mentioned that she practices climbing not to reach a certain height or for any trophy, but that she practices in order to love climbing.

What if you thought of your mundane doings as a practice being done so that you may love the practice of living?

This drive you are about to take, the meal you are about to prepare, the room you are about to clean – could you immerse yourself in it as a practice of living in love of the drive, the cooking, or the cleaning?

I often refer to my journeys as practices – not only for the reason of acknowledging that they are never done – but also to remind myself and others that there is no perfection I am trying to accomplish. Whether I am practicing meditation, parenting, writing a blog post, running, or painting, it will always be a practice. I never plan on reaching a point where I feel I am a master at any of these things, for a true master always knows that there is more to be learned.

So practice with me. Whatever it might be that you are doing today, let go of the need for perfection in your doings. Understand that while certain things might have an end point – the report needs written, the meal needs to be consumed – there is no point but the practice of doing it.

Practice for the love of the practice.