It’s time to take out the bustle
Life is more complex these days… but does it need to be?
I am writing to you from Cham Island, Vietnam, overlooking what some would say is chaos on steroids. There’s hustle and there’s bustle. The streets are alive and humming. The three-month school summer break started today, and hundreds of tourist boats zoom in and out of the harbour. The tourists get off the boat, look around, swim, on the boat again and they’re gone. The little island seems overwhelmed. Full to the brim. A hive of activity that’s almost too much. But the shop and stall owners and guides all hold strong despite the blistering heat. They need to. We all know why, and we all do it. We do what we have to, to keep things ticking along.
By 8pm, the day has cooled, the tourists have eased, and local kids are running around just hanging with friends. Scooters scoot through, loaded to the brim and honking their horns, weaving among the bikes and people. No rules seem to apply. A party is happening with lights, food, and karaoke. The ice supplier struggles to load cold ice blocks onto his scooter. Someone stops to help. Fishermen are sorting their day’s catch, squatting on the jetty with baskets in preparation for tomorrow. So much going on!
The chaos is all around but I have stilled for the day. Sitting, sipping my soda water and soaking it in. I can’t understand what is being said, but now I can notice the moments. I see the universal language of love and friendship. The jokes, banter, arms around shoulders. A grandson holding his pa’s hand as they walk to the jetty where the air is cool and pa’s old fishing buddies are hanging out. And there’s an order to the constant stream of scooters. In my stillness, I can see the system that only works because of a shared understanding, watchfulness, purpose, and care.
What upon first appearances seems complex and chaotic is actually just a series of small intentional moments. When you look deeply, you see it… Simplicity.
Being here has reminded me how to go small. I often find myself thinking about all the things that need to be done, expectations, pressure, demands and OMG, just the stuff to make life function! I hear people saying we’ve never had it so easy and in many ways, that’s true. But our life is also complicated by lots of little things that demand our time and attention.
For example, banking is so much easier these days. We rarely have to go into a branch. But when you go online, your internet browser has to be validated or your password has to be authenticated and then my password isn’t working. There’s 10 more minutes doing a reset. And, geez Louise, this is just the banking, let alone insurances, power, gas, car registration… the list goes on. It’s all simplified online. But is it really simple?
We often don’t think about how to streamline and simplify our home life like we do our work life. At work, we have to think about being in a team, our goals and how to best achieve them. At home, things are often last minute, rushed, and the result, let alone the process, is far from ideal, actually taking us more time than less. Time we are spending in overwhelm and chaos, not in the flow, where joy, family and friendships flourish.
Before your to-do’s become a never-ending list, now is the perfect time to take a moment and get serious about simplifying your hustle and streamlining your bustle. Clear the calendar. Forward plan. Schedule some slow and take charge of your home life. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you for it.
Ali
