The Trivium

January 29, 2010

Why on earth do things seem so complicated?
This week has been a mess of up and down and on and off.
We've all been happy, fussy, angry, and sad around here.
Who can keep up?
I sit down to write and there are piles of little jobs.
Emails that demand my present attention.
Charts to check and to-dos to line through. Or not.
There is always crap to do.
And those little things will, without you even realizing, demonize your life.
They will slowly - and quite surely - nickel and dime your relationships to death.
Everyone is busy, folks - stop using that for an excuse.
And stop thinking you are the only ones who have things to do.
I do too. So does everyone I know.
But - we better slow down before the ride ends.
Better to enjoy a bit of the scenery, rather than be surprised by a slam jolt of a stop.
My favorite book has a character called The Trivium.
He invites others to
Move an enormous pile of sand… but with only tiny tweezers…
Empty a well… but only with an eye dropper…
Dig a hole in a cliff… but with only a needle…
And The Trivium is so well dressed and kind and polite
That the real characters, the ones we love, the heroes of the tale -
They find themselves spending countless happy hours
Accomplishing nothing.
Finally, his sweet demeanor breaks and, although faceless, he shrieks:
"I am the Terrible Trivium, demon of petty tasks and worthless jobs,
Ogre of wasted effort, and monster of habit!...
Don't try to leave… for there's so very much to do…
Think of all the trouble it saves…
If you only do the easy and useless jobs, you'll never have to worry about the
Important Ones which are so difficult.
You just won't have the time.
For there's always something to do to keep you from what you
Really Should Be Doing…"*
What should you really be doing today?
What eye dropper are you using to empty a well?
What fun could you be having?
What relationship could you be growing?
What falsely polite person is lining up meaningless tasks for you?
What Nothing are you accomplishing?
God calls us to a life lived abundantly.
And while there will always be things to do, we can -
At least sometimes -
Make choices small or large
That invite growth, in ourselves and others.
Wake up! What wronged muse is luring you
Away from a deeper and richer life?

In Wisdom,
Brandi Calhoun Diamond

*This story, and many other good ones, can be found in The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. I bought it in 1982 and have read it more times than I can count.