Dear World
What is Practical Living and WHY on earth would we be interested in that?
Origin of the word practical
Late 16th century: via late Latin from Greek praktikos ‘concerned with action’, from prattein ‘do, act’ (1)
On that note, we better be concerned with our action.
We need to do, actually do something – act.
Practical is not an idea or theory in our head but application and this makes it effective.
Practical makes it Real as we are engaging in the very act of doing something in our Living-ness.
That means we are putting Focus and attention into our movements to do something that serves and that means there is a purpose.
So many of us are not bothered about the practical aspects of living in this world and it holds little value.
We tend to see things that are far more important and not focus on the practical elements of living.
We have an inbuilt aversion when it comes to getting on with the job that is practical and makes sense.
We make Excuses, phone a friend, spend ages on Social Media or other distractions while the practical jobs at home and in life, just get ignored.
We generally do not hold a practical way of living as important as it is usually Boring and mundane for us.
We like entertainment and distractions as that grabs our minds and whilst we seek more of that, all the practical things just get left behind.
Many of us are currently liking the time off that the world governments have imposed on us and that means living a what we want, because we can kind of lifestyle.
Some of us really want Change but we seem to be at a loss where to start and how it will all work out.
A few of us are finding ways to bring some meaning and purpose to our lockdown life but not getting far.
Many of us have Given Up and become quite despondent about life in general and have no intention of making the actual movements to change.
The masses have engaged in new forms of entertainment to distract even further away from the realities that we call everyday life.
In fact, all our needs and distractions seem to be met by ease and comfort, where we barely need to move as long as we got the smartphone or computer to do the clicking and we have it on demand.
There is always something out there catching our attention and attracting us to try something different or new, even if it is just a fad.
For the record a ‘fad’ is a short-lived craze. It gathers momentum as lots of people jump on the bandwagon and widely share the enthusiasm, only to find it was not what it was cut out to be and boom, bang – all over and dead, where we forgot it even existed.
Next –
Let us assume that we do not know what Practical Living means in our life.
Let’s say it would be the opposite of Lazy Living.
The following are some Simple examples of what Lazy Living is all about –
- Having no Sleep routine
- Going to bed when we want because we can
- Waking up late in the day because we can
- Not washing up after eating
- Not cleaning up our bedroom
- Never bothering to clean the Toilet
- Leaving the Trash until it stinks and stinks
- Wearing our “Can’t be bothered to Tidy Up” hat on
- Using apps to deliver our food most days
- Never making the effort to cook a meal from scratch
- Doing Online Shopping when the shops are nearby
- Spending more time on Social Media
- Video Gaming where we lose track of the hours spent
- Watching TV every waking hour
- Not having any Focus on everyday work
- Ignoring the basic house jobs that need action
- Always looking at ways to distract from house tasks
- Wanting others to do the domestic jobs
- Relying on others to do our laundry wash
- Having little or no respect for our home
- Having no Standards for the home life in general
- Expecting our neighbours to tidy up our bit outside
- Leaving the garden to the point of neglect
- Getting stuck into a hobby and forgetting about Real life
Enough said.
Practical Living is about taking Action and that means doing something and not sitting on our butts, day in and day out.
Practical Living requires nothing from the head department to dictate or impose or control us with ideas and theory.
Practical Living is about having a sensible and realistic approach to everyday life by applying what works.
In other words, if we have practical things that we can do daily in our life, it will bring us a more solid Foundation.
For example –
Making Our Bed every day regardless of what is going on for us in life. No excuses, no negotiation, no chit chat in the head. Just do it and Get On with It.
It does not matter if your mother or your brother are not coming over to see you – just make the bed and make it well. Pay attention to the detail and if the bed needs a sheet change then Get On with It. Wake up earlier, stop relying on Alarm Clocks when it really is Simple – go to bed early and get off that TV or Social Media.
Next –
Practical Living is really about the practical everyday aspects of life that do not go away because we don’t want to do them.
Dear World
What if1 locking in the practical basic everyday stuff really does make our life Flow and it is effective because it makes us Real?
We are not dis-engaged in life, we Focus on the task in hand and that means we are not dis-connected from our body. This helps us to settle and deal with what we need to in life.
What if2 going Back to Basics with practical living keeps us grounded and supports our Mental Health and well-being?
What if3 we make the movements to continue with practical living as if it were a number one Priority every day?
That means we Get On with It when it comes to making our bed every day, washing the dishes, cleaning the toilet and emptying the trash to name a few.
What if Practical Living gives us a sense of purpose to equip us with dealing with what the day ahead brings?
What if we can use those daily practical small jobs to keep things in order and flowing in our life?
What if this Flow where things are moving and taken care of creates a rhythm and gives us a marker of what standards we have set in daily life to support us?
AND finally – for those who genuinely want Change…
Simple Living Global have a long list of blogs on this website to support Practical Living.
They come from a writer that walks the talk and that means lives what they are saying and Gets On with It.
References
(1) (n.d). Lexico. Retrieved April 9, 2021 from
https://www.lexico.com/definition/practical
Comments 2
Mail Online – 16 April 2021
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-9479395/Household-chores-help-prevent-dementia-study-claims.html
A new study claims that doing simple household chores could help prevent dementia because it shows a greater brain size, which is a strong predictor of cognitive health.
Canadian scientists found older adults who spent more time engaging in such activities as cleaning, dusting, tidying, shopping, cooking, housework, home repairs and caregiving had greater brain volume. This was regardless of how much they engaged in the more strenuous forms of physical exercise (such as running).
Dementia is a term used to describe a category of symptoms marked by behavioural changes and gradually declining cognitive and social abilities.
Highlighting the benefits of household chores can motivate older adults to be more active by ‘providing more realistic, low risk forms of physical activity’ say the scientists.
The following are from the World Health Organisation who inform us that this is a public health priority.
50 MILLION PEOPLE HAVE DEMENTIA GLOBALLY
10 MILLION NEW CASES OF DEMENTIA EVERY YEAR
60 – 70% of dementia cases are contributed by Alzheimer’s disease, which slowly destroys memory and thinking skills.
920,000 people in the UK are living with dementia and this is expected to rise in 3 years to over 1 million, according to the UK Alzheimer’s Society.
This blog talks about Practical Living and this comment relates to the practical aspects of human life.
What if it really is that simple – those who “get on with it” and stay active by doing household chores every day are in some way making the movements to support themselves and perhaps others too? What if these movements contribute to not being stuck or going down the ill road of negative thoughts, which could lead to a person checking out? What this means is they are present and taking responsibility for their daily routine in a way that is practical and that means a form of activity. This is not a sedentary lifestyle but one that engages them in doing the task and focusing on the job in hand, so their mind is less likely to wander off and be fed those negative thoughts we all know about.
What if this activity keeps their body more mobile and not fixed so things like the connective tissue gets to move in flow and not stay stuck? What if just going shopping supports them to engage with the outside world and this also helps them as they get older and it brings meaning and value because there is a purpose to living their life?
Dear World
We really cannot afford to dismiss this study or wait for more studies, regardless of how old we are. Time we all got active and that does not mean running for a marathon or aiming to climb a mountain so we can upload on social media and get the likes we crave. Absolutely, No No No.
This is about Practical Living where we view our housework and all the household tasks as part of human life that can deeply support our body and our well-being.
Imagine if we taught our very young children that responsibility means tidying up their toys, learning to pick up and clear and clean up their mess and engaging them in house jobs as soon as they are able to.
What if we put Practical Living on the school agenda and taught our kids the meaning and value that this is purpose and it is well worth staying active in this way?
We could then track the kids who do household chores everyday and see how they turn out in adult life and we could also see how the others who choose not to do anything in the practical way at home, whilst growing up, turn out as young adults and then as older adults.
Getting into the habit of taking action and not procrastinating or delaying basic stuff like unwanted mail arriving in our letterbox is something I have done for many decades.
Today, I realised that this company is going to keep bugging me with their services that I have only used once (and was not going back). They have your address on file and these marketing machines churn out unwanted paper throughout the year and I have seen many a home in my days where post just piles up and then it ends up in the bin or recycle.
But what if we take a step to lessen that load and do something instead of just ignoring it? We know it is never going to disappear or go away unless we do something.
What I have realised is it literally takes a few minutes if that and I have a stock of white sticky labels, so I place one over the see through bit showing the address on the envelope. If that is not covering then I cross out in bold marker pen and state RTS and either refer them with a PTO meaning turn over, as that is the return address OR I write out the address to return this junk mail. Yes it is junk and it will never go away so what a great way to deal with it.
Over the years it gets less and less and that responsibility has paid off. Not only do I benefit, but so do all of us as I for one am not contributing to more un-necessary waste.
This is a great practical task that remains ongoing as and when it is needed.