Go with the Flow
I started working in Central Park soon after a chain-link fence with barbed wire was replaced by this more picturesque version, making the Reservoir a calmer and more inviting.
One particularly warm afternoon few tourists jumped the fence to go for a swim and were arrested. My boss— who spent years replacing the fence— was furious at the suggestion that a no swimming sign be added. ”It's a fence! The whole thing is a no swimming sign!”
Like all reservoirs, it has a complex pump house to control what flows in and out. The word flow and control are normally seen at odds with one another but when it comes to a reservoir, that relationship is fundamental. What does this have to do with home? Recently its become much harder to control the flow of things out of homes, especially in comparison to what flows into it. Our home is a reservoir filled with resources that help us function at our best. How do we keep everything flowing?
It's no surprise that the flow of things out feels so much more difficult! The best hours of geniuses are dedicated to making the flow of things to our door effortless. The result is that the energy of getting things out of our house cannot be as simple! It requires way more thought because we don't have a team of engineers solving this problem for us.
When you’re settling into a new home, one-click is such a relief. The new place doesn’t come with a shower curtain? You can get one delivered in an hour. Celebrating a zoom wedding and want helium balloons behind you? No problem! But what happens after that? How easily do things flow back out? Do you keep that helium tank in the garage for the next party or do you offer it to your friend down the street with young children?
Our awareness is the key to managing the flow. Audit your past orders when you are placing a new one. If you cant imagine baking sourdough bread again, ask your friend who is always sharing sourdough starter if they can give the next person your bench-scraper and rolling pin, too.
When you can ask other members of your household to get an item for you and they don't need to ask where it is, there is not only flow but also comfort and connection. Every time you reach for this-not-that is an opportunity to learn what makes you feel comfortable at home today. It answers the question ”What is taking more from my space than it gives back?”
We are constantly growing, changing, learning, and exploring. There is always room for the new and the next when we go with the flow.
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