Lessons From the Porch

Fifty years of habits
Are awfully hard to shake. 
They served me well for a long, long time, 
But now some need to break.

For as long as I remember,
I’ve been chasing the next thing. 
From school to college to career, 
Always reaching for the next brass ring.

Make task lists, prioritize.
Plan and plan again. 
Up before dawn, work all day, 
Fall into bed at ten.

These habits aren't just for work,
They spill into leisure and play. 
I'll be doing something just for fun, 
And find my mind on the next day.

Now these habits served me well. 
Regret them? I do not. 
But life goes on, I've gotten older, 
And I'm in a different spot.

A few years ago, I took a step back, 
Trying to slow my pace.
I'm making progress, but my mind
Still gets caught up in the race.

"Don't just do something, sit there!"
Thich Nhat Hanh once said. 
Every day's a challenge
To get that through my head.

Then I show up at the cabin,
This should be the place to chill. 
But there are chores to do, things to fix 
And work commitments to fulfill.

So my mind becomes fixated
On all the things I must achieve. 
I make a plan to do it all,
So I can hurry up and leave.

And then I take a minute 
For a front-porch rocking chair session.
Life is happening in this moment. 
Every day I re-learn that lesson.

Fifty years of habits
Can't be undone very fast. 
But I'm practicing the habit of presence, 
Each day getting better than the last.

I'm doing better at taking time
To write and strum and sing, 
To be fully present here and now, 
Not fretting what the future will bring.

So I’ll slow down, just be still,
And stop burning candles like a torch.
Breathe in, breathe out, no need to rush,
That’s the lesson from the porch.