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The monkey mind is an image we borrow from Buddhist tradition. It flits from branch to branch, swinging through the trees, chattering nervously as it looks for the next tasty fruit, samples it, rejects it, and moves on.
I am often frustrated by my inner monkey. It has a severe case of ADD, and prevents my focusing on one task until it is done. It moves through the house or the to-do list, picking things up, then setting them down when other shiny objects appear. It is never content with what is happening now, looking always for something better.
I have read books and taken classes and entertained practices that were geared toward taming the monkey. Then, one day, I read a new book: Organize Your Mind, Organize Your Life. More of the same? Not entirely!
Authors Paul Hammerness and Margaret Moore do begin with focus and frenzy, my elusive friend and its evil twin. But they do not stop there. They reach out in the chapters on creativity, and welcome the free-ranging mind into the circle of psychological strengths. They do not lock the monkey in a cage and throw away the key. They cage him when needed, and take him out when the time is right.
The part of our mind that swings from branch to branch is not just given us for practice in self discipline. It is the part of us that casts about for unrelated ideas and makes new and unusual connections. It is a font of creative beauty and imagination.
I have learned to treasure the free association of the creative mind. It plays a central role each week when I sit down to write Reflections. It is a critical component of complex problem-solving. It knows what it means to to think outside the box.
Today I want to give the undisciplined, associative mind its turn in the sun. I have too often dwelt on its drawbacks and worked to subdue its reign in my life. Yes, I still keep it in a cage, because it can't roam free all of the time. But I also want to recognize its need to exercise, to gather fruits, and to play in the garden of novelty and joy.
How do you balance the value of focus with the value of free association? Do they both get the opportunity to enrich your life?
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