The lazy guru’s guide to life

I am excited to share a book I found a year ago. I was walking along high street when I  came across a store on closing down sale (my favorite kind of sale) and had everything at 70% to 80% off. On the window was a display of toys and random art supplies and nestled right in the middle was a little yellow book with a weird illustration of a smiling man with rays of light radiating from around him. I went inside and browsed the book…I loved it. 

There must be 150 pages, give or take, of delightful illustrations, with one or 2 sentences (sometimes more) each page. I could have finished it while standing there but each word and phrase I read just spoke to me and mellowed my angry heart. I had to buy and keep it and read it when I needed reminding to be at peace.

I was not at my best at that time. My thoughts were toxic, I didn’t like the people around me and I continued to feel unpleasant emotions. On top of everything else, I was sleeping less and less…I was lucky to have two hours of sleep. I was always tired and my patience was non-existent. The strain of pretending I was okay was getting overwhelming. I just wanted to rest.

The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life helped immensely in putting things into perspective. It stilled my troubled heart and mind enough to allow me to process what was happening and made me see a way out of my misery. Reading it was like being wrapped in a blanket of warm sunshine after a long winter month. 

Here’s an excerpt:

“People are like walking light bulbs…full of energy.

But the light gets dimmed…it comes and goes.

That’s normal…just like the river, we have ups and downs.

The difference between people and rivers (well one of them) is that instead of letting it happen, we try to control the natural flow. The natural flow of feelings is pretty scary. You don’t know exactly what would happen…if you really let yourself go! The whole world might fall apart and can go down the toilet, especially when you don’t feel so good. So, naturally…you put your feelings into little boxes (instead of mighty rivers) somewhere you can keep them safe and out of sight. But what happens when you try to put a mighty river into a tiny box?You’ve gotta work really hard to keep it there. It takes a whole lot of energy to contain that flow…”

I hope you get a chance to read this beautiful book as well. It’s called The Mindful Art of Achieving More by Doing Less, The Lazy Guru’s Guide to Life“. This is written by Laurence Shorter. I hope you find it helpful. 

“As you get better at giving yourself space, you will notice that every situation and relationship has a life of its own that doesn’t need your worry or stress in order to thrive” -lazy guru