Dust If You Must by Rose Milligan

Hey everyone,

My kids finish school for the holidays in two days and everything's feeling busy. I stumbled across this old poem from Rose Milligan to help remind me what's important. Take a moment to let something fall off your holiday list today and instead just enjoy a moment of connection or love.

Neil

PS. If you insist on loading up for the holidays I recommend checking out my (pandemic written) ​Holiday Gift Guide​. And, you know, nothing wrong with pulling off the spectacular ​Super Present Power Shop​, either.


Dust If You Must by Rose Milligan

Dust if you must, but wouldn't it be better
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed;
Ponder the difference between want and need?

Dust if you must, but there's not much time,
With rivers to swim, and mountains to climb;
Music to hear, and books to read;
Friends to cherish, and life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world's out there
With the sun in your eyes, and the wind in your hair;
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain,
This day will not come around again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,
Old age will come and it's not kind.
And when you go (and go you must)
You, yourself, will make more dust.


Another way I keep focused on what matters is the Okinawan concept of ​ikigai​.

Not sure how to get everything done so you can spend time with your family this holiday season? ​Check out my tips​ on how to cut meeting time (and any other to-do!) in half.

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