Captain Michael: There is a point where more stops becoming more.
Another drink does not make the evening better.
Another possession do
There is a point where more stops becoming more.
Another drink does not make the evening better.
Another possession does not make us richer.
Another accomplishment does not make us more worthy.
Another hour of work does not always improve what we have done.
But recognizing that point can be difficult.
Because “more” is easy to measure.
Enough isn’t.
Enough requires judgment.
And perhaps even a little courage.
There is an old Taoist idea that a cup is useful because of the empty space inside it.
Fill it completely and it can receive nothing more.
Our lives can become like that.
We fill every hour.
Accept every invitation.
Chase every opportunity.
Accumulate things, commitments, ambitions and expectations until there is hardly any empty space left.
Then we wonder why we feel crowded.
Aboard a boat, clutter announces itself pretty quickly.
Eventually something has to go.
Maybe the same is true ashore.
And maybe it is true inside us as well.
There are things we can put down.
Old arguments.
Expectations that belonged to somebody else.
Goals we no longer actually want.
The need to prove something we stopped caring about years ago.
Enough does not mean there is nothing left to experience.
It means there is finally room to experience what is already here.
Perhaps the measure of abundance isn’t how much we can fit into a life.
Maybe it is how much room we leave to live it.
#Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #Enough, #Simplicity, #Contentment, #Wisdom, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #LiveaboardLife, #Philosophy, #CaptainMichael
Captain Michael: There is a point where more stops becoming more. Another drink does not make the evening better. Another possession does
There is a point where more stops becoming more. Another drink does not make the evening better. Another possession does not make us richer. Another accomplishment does not make us more worthy. Another hour of work does not always improve what we have done. But recognizing that point can be difficult. Because “more” is easy to measure. Enough isn’t. Enough requires judgment. And perhaps even a little courage. There is an old Taoist idea that a cup is useful because of the empty space inside it. Fill it completely and it can receive nothing more. Our lives can become like that. We fill every hour. Accept every invitation. Chase every opportunity. Accumulate things, commitments, ambitions and expectations until there is hardly any empty space left. Then we wonder why we feel crowded. Aboard a boat, clutter announces itself pretty quickly. Eventually something has to go. Maybe the same is true ashore. And maybe it is true inside us as well. There are things we can put down. Old arguments. Expectations that belonged to somebody else. Goals we no longer actually want. The need to prove something we stopped caring about years ago. Enough does not mean there is nothing left to experience. It means there is finally room to experience what is already here. Perhaps the measure of abundance isn’t how much we can fit into a life. Maybe it is how much room we leave to live it. #Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #Enough, #Simplicity, #Contentment, #Wisdom, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #LiveaboardLife, #Philosophy, #CaptainMichael
There is a point where more stops becoming more. Another drink does not make the evening better. Another possession does not make us richer. Another accomplishment does not make us more worthy. Another hour of work does not always improve what we have done. But recognizing that point can be difficult. Because “more” is easy to measure. Enough isn’t. Enough requires judgment. And perhaps even a little courage. There is an old Taoist idea that a cup is useful because of the empty space inside it. Fill it completely and it can receive nothing more. Our lives can become like that. We fill every hour. Accept every invitation. Chase every opportunity. Accumulate things, commitments, ambitions and expectations until there is hardly any empty space left. Then we wonder why we feel crowded. Aboard a boat, clutter announces itself pretty quickly. Eventually something has to go. Maybe the same is true ashore. And maybe it is true inside us as well. There are things we can put down. Old arguments. Expectations that belonged to somebody else. Goals we no longer actually want. The need to prove something we stopped caring about years ago. Enough does not mean there is nothing left to experience. It means there is finally room to experience what is already here. Perhaps the measure of abundance isn’t how much we can fit into a life. Maybe it is how much room we leave to live it. #Taoism, #LaoTzu, #TheWatercourseWay, #Enough, #Simplicity, #Contentment, #Wisdom, #SailingLife, #LifeAfloat, #LiveaboardLife, #Philosophy, #CaptainMichael
