I could replace the word "detail" with "have to's" or "drama."
We have to do it, and we have to do it this way. We tend to get into a rut of doing the same things in the same way, without even considering that there may be a simpler way of accomplishing. Operating in people-pleasing mode, we have to keep the details going in order to keep everyone happy. I know this behavior well from working in a church office for six years. I've worked with people whose motto was "Why simplify when we can over-complicate this?"
Life can easily be frittered away by drama, too. It is not simple for the body, mind or emotions to be continually charged up by drama. A lot of the drama is about circumstances over which we have no control. It simplifies life considerably when we learn to leave those circumstances alone. There is also the very easy trap of getting sucked into other folks' drama, where we truly have no business. Simplify, simplify.
One of my greatest simplification victories came many years ago relative to Christmas gifts for my many great-nieces and great-nephews. December meant contacting their parents, begging for ideas, buying the gifts, and wrapping and mailing them across country. It frittered away my December with details that became less and less enjoyable, especially as the children grew older. So I stopped it all and started an investment fund to which I contributed a small amount regularly for years. Now, when the young person graduates from high school, they receive a letter from me telling them about their share in the fund and their options for taking it. This has simplified my life tremendously, and the kids are loving it. It's way better than all the yearly gifts that are long forgotten.
Since we always have a choice, maybe there is a simpler way... just sayin'.
Leta
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