Boxes

One of the things we do to bring order into our lives, is to create boxes. These boxes are usually bounded by time and space – there is a time (box) for exercise, a particular place (box), a time to eat (box) and a place (box). We become used to these boxes and develop a familiarity and an attachment to them. After awhile, we find that we cannot function outside of these boxes, for they are so ingrained in our lives. For example, if our exercise box has us at the gym at 5.30 a.m. Monday to Friday, we find that we are unable to run at 2.00 p.m. on Wednesday, or swim at 6.30 p.m. on Thursday or do yoga at 9.00 a.m. on Saturday, even if for some reason, we missed the 5.30 a.m. sessions at the gym during the week. We just can’t do it – it’s outside our exercise box. What started out as a useful technique to bring order has now taken rigid hold of us, keeping us in a place where we are no longer served. In the exercise box example, note that the week will have passed without us exercising at all – simply because we missed our exercise box.

The exercise box example is very personal to me. I have long held that I can only exercise in the morning. My box was that if I didn’t get it done at 5.00 a.m. then it wouldn’t happen again for the day. Yet, for the past 18 months, I have broken out of this box and find it hard to miss my yoga classes – all held in the evenings! (another box?) I am out of that morning exercise box. But I note other exercise boxes – my most recent one is that I need to get up earlier to do a yoga routine before I run in the morning. That would mean that I would have to be up before 4.00 a.m. Of course, this just has not worked, and I have experienced much frustration trying to do both, and not succeeding. But this morning I ran and then did yoga. And it was fine! So, I have decided that I can and will do my yoga routine at any time of the day or night! And, I can even run at any time of day or night.

It is good to check out the boxes in our lives – the eating boxes, the work boxes, the relationship boxes – all areas of our lives are compartmentalised into boxes. They are very useful. We also want to be aware that when we think or act “outside the box” we will have replaced our existing box with a new one. So, outside the box invariably means inside another one.

I don’t think there is anything “wrong” with boxing our lives. Perhaps there will be a day when “outside the box” really means no box. Until then, what we need to do is be aware of our boxes, be willing to let go of them when they no longer serve us and create new, more expanded boxes which gives us space to grow and unfold even more, until we no longer need boxes.