“Chunky Living” by Anne Nayer, msw, Coach Paradise

Driving across the island enjoying the after glow of one of the best smoothies I’d ever made, I reviewed, in my mind, the tasty, healthful ingredients that had gone into its creation. There was the papaya I had just picked, a lime and a star fruit from my trees, cocoanut water from Clement the Magen’s Bay Coconut man, hemp powder for a major dose of protein and fig bananas and kale from the rasta farmer at the Bordeaux market.

When I thought of the kale I was reminded of my desire to plant my own crop and how I get stymied by my need for enough soil to fill up the 9’x4’ plot I’ve surrounded with cinder blocks. Even though I drive around with two buckets and a shovel in the back of my car and have been told where there are piles for the taking, I’m not always dressed for the task or in the mood to stop and shovel and, the one time I did, I felt discouraged at how two buckets of soil didn’t go very far.

When I realized that I could divide the plot into a smaller chunk,  a light bulb went off in my brain.  Combined with the potting soil I have on hand and the results of my new compost pile – I’d be ready for seedlings in no time and could look forward to adding my own kale to my smoothies – a thought that made me smile.  I felt  liberated and wondered why it had I taken me so long to figure out that a chunk would get me going and had languished in the land of overwhelm and not enough instead?   I knew too that this is familiar territory extends beyond the boundaries of my nascent garden into other areas of my life in the land of  unfinished business, works in progress and drippings from the good stuff of life that is waiting to be turned into gravy or something equally delicious.

I have dreams and lots of them. Many have come true thanks to my efforts, lots of help from my friends and family and the amazing ways the universe has of conspiring on my behalf. But there are lots that are waiting in the wings – some just needing a coat of paint while others have so many steps involved in their conception and birth process that when I think of all that is involved in getting from here to there my brain fogs over and I put them on the back burner or the endless to do list where they sit and clog up the works and, like plaque, prevent the free flow of unimpeded energy.

The Place mat process of Abraham is great for dealing with overwhelm.  It involves taking a few top priority items from your endless to do list and putting them in a column under your name while putting the rest of the list in a column labeled The Universe.  It’s a way  of cutting what’s on your plate into manageable bites and a vote of confidence that the universe, God, source, the powers that be, are also taking care of business.

Time management experts suggest breaking tasks into small increments and production lines include descriptions of every extension and exertion involved in a particular task. I’ve been working with a coaching program whose challenge is to break things down into their smallest components, to be specific and set clear deadlines. It’s not good enough to say “make healthy soups twice a week”. I’m asked to specify whether I have the necessary recipes and ingredients and if not when so life is easy and I don’t get sidelined  with no recipe and no potatoes for the vichychoisse for example.

If you are going to start an exercise program that involves running or swimming – do you have sneakers or goggles and if not when are you going to get them?  If you want to earn 5,000 this month from your sales job – how much do you have to bring in today, how many sales calls to have  as many conversations as you need to get your target number of buyers.  Nothing vague or fuzzy here.

My plot of Kale is pure poetry and a metaphor for the rest of my life where focusing on a smaller more manageable chunk of my  garden plot means I can fill it up sooner than later and add my home grown kale to my home grown smoothie – a testimony to the benefit  of, what I’m calling, “Chunky Living” where we stay present, bite off what we can chew and reap the benefits of being here now.