I began practicing the virtue of order last week with rosy visions of streamlining an orderly life. I shared that I tend to have a mildly disordered, OCD approach to letting things have their places and that I struggle with letting each part of my business have its time. I fantasized that I would simply commit to mindfully tend to business I often sweep under the rug. I was going to bask in the glory of a well-ordered, blissful existence.

So, how is that working out for me?

Well, I’m neither well-ordered nor blissful.

The good news is that I have been reasonably successful with the commitments I made to eat and walk each day. Turns out that I like preemptively eating. My family members are big fans of it, too. It’s nice to avoid devolving into a hot mess.

The bad news is that I’ve felt frustrated to interrupt what I’m doing to keep these commitments. The frustration is balanced somewhat by the endorphins from walking, which is helpful. But it seems that the more I practice order, the more chaotic I feel. I’m generally disorganized and I feel stressed out and behind my own schedule.

Am I doing order wrong?

To be fair, the holidays are an incredibly stressful time of year. And while the holidays can feel exhausting and overwhelming, I wonder if perhaps I’m missing the point of virtue of order entirely. All those extra get-togethers, traditions, shopping, etc., etc. are the whole point. They aren’t a disruption to order; they are order itself. This time of year is a socially imposed way to let each part of our business have its time. The traditions or rituals, the celebrations, the cards, the visits with family and friends, the special foods we prepare and eat—these aren’t a detraction from the order of our lives. This time of year is a way to ensure that we make time for the people we love and the things we cherish and believe.

So, yes. I think I’ve been doing order wrong. Instead of trying to heap on the extra commitments of the holidays, I’m going to prioritize the holidays over my regular commitments because they’re a crucial part of order. If we never made time for the business of drawing together to celebrate the light in our lives and in each other, it wouldn’t happen. This may mean that I won’t have anything ready to post next week, but there will be time to return to my regular order of business soon enough. I hope you’ll join me in giving the business of celebrating your light its time, whoever you are and whatever you believe.

As for me, I have an immediate order of business: my alarm to eat went off over an hour ago.     

Notes:

Image by Colin Behrens from Pixabay

1. Eco, Umberto. The Name of the Rose. Harcourt, Inc. and Martin Secker & Warburg Limited, 1983. p. 492