Yesterday I talked about it that you should keep the mind busy, otherwise your mind will not know what it should hold on to. And you can see this very often with people who retire from their work. Suddenly they don’t know anymore what they should do with their free time and where they should direct their thoughts to.
People who don’t have much company also often have difficulties with this. And you can feel this when you are with them, because their mind is often used to staying in one point, not moving from it. They become inflexible on certain opinions and insist on what they are saying because they don’t have much possibility to see it in another way.
I had to think of this topic today, too, when I saw my father working in the garden. He is also very busy, the whole day long, and you will very often see him even in the middle of the night walking in the garden and looking at the plants. He doesn’t travel and preach much anymore and from time to time someone comes here to get his advice. So he is practically retired but he does really the best that he can do: although we have a gardener and although there are many helpers in the garden he loves to be there, to put plants and flowers into pots or from pots into the earth, to cut what is unnecessary and to water what is dry. He does exactly this: he keeps his mind busy.
The garden has become his responsibility, his work and his passion. He also says these words when he sometimes washes clothes or does something else which other people would love to help him with: if I didn’t do this, then what would I do and think of?
It is great and I think this is the best advice that I can give to anybody who feels that he needs something to do or to occupy the mind with: find something you love to do, a project, maybe with nature, art or in your house. Read if you like and read different things, new things, learn something that you always wanted to learn but never had time for. Do something and you will see that your mind comes along, active as always, eager to think!
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You guys are awesome. Couldn’t agree more.
This is a good insight, Swami Ji. Somehow people think that life is sort of over after you retire from your career…but other people feel like it has just begun! Learning and growing is a life long process… so even people who no longer have careers can still learn and grow in many ways- whatever they enjoy! It’s kind of like play time..back to being a kid again. 😀