麻豆约拍

A spiritual comment and prayer to begin the day with Poet, Writer & History Teacher Jaspreet Kaur

Good morning.

Over the weekend, I decided to take on the looming task of trying to tidy up my wardrobes. It had got to a stage that we鈥檙e all too familiar with... Shove the clothes into some sort of pile and shut the door 鈥� quick 鈥� before it all lands on top of you! I needed to find some of my old comfy winter hoodies so I thought it would be a good opportunity. Instead, I found clothes that I hadn鈥檛 worn in ten years, and shamefully some that had never been worn at all - tags still on.

Whilst I sat in my piles of stress, I remembered an old saying that my Mum used to say to me when I was little. It went something like:

鈥淜uttaa vee jithe bahindaa, pahila poonchh maar ke bahindaa.鈥�

It roughly translates to 鈥淓ven a dog sweeps his tail in the area before he sits down.鈥�

It鈥檚 an ancient reminder to keep our spaces free of clutter. Our ancestors were masters of a simple lifestyle and spaces were kept clean. When I was younger, growing up in a working-class family, this was just how we lived. Nowadays we call it minimalism.

Embracing minimalism, or my preferred word, intentionality, brings freedom from the all-consuming passion to possess. It lets us see all that we already have and reminds us to be grateful. In doing so, we find a more abundant life.

Dear God, help me free both my mind and my life from clutter and excess. Guide us in living more intentionally and with purpose.

Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa Waheguru Ji Ki Fateh (the traditional ending to a Sikh prayer)

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