Tao Te Ching, Verse 8, Part I

“The greatest good is like water.
Water is of benefit to every living thing
and does not contend with them.
It flows in lowly places disdained by all mankind,
and so comes close to DAO.

In where you live, choose solid ground;
in how you think, go deep within your mind;
in your relationships, show loving-kindness;
in what you say, hold to the truth;
in governing, be just;
in how you work, do what is best;
in what you do, be timely.

What gives a house its value is where it is;
what gives a mind its value is its depth;
what gives relationship its value is its love;
what gives words their value is their truth;
what gives a government its value is its justice;
what gives work its value is its skill;
what gives action its value is its timeliness.

Do not fight, and there will be no blame.” (Tao Te Ching, Verse 8, Tim Chilcott Translation)

Here’s what I find in my own life – everything distracts me from what I believe is actually important – everything screams for my attention calling me away from time with the people I love, time with myself, and time with God – a million distractions divert me from enjoying my work and living simply – I become confused and begin to think that I want things that I have no use for – that I need things that won’t do anything to improve my life and if I don’t consciously take a moment to clear my head of this nonsense, I become even more confused and begin to act on these irrational impulses – to want things – to buy things – to invest my time in pursuits that do nothing but sap my strength and leave me less capable than when I began to become confused

I’ll leave you once again with Siji Tzu’s commentary:
“Behind me are tall mountain peaks. Behind you is a valley river. The water makes its way from the sky to the peaks. The peaks to the river. Along its journey, a doe will sip from it. A tree will sink its roots into it. A murderer will wash the blood from his hands in it. The water does not care. This is like the Dao. Keep to the simple in thought, in work, in pleasure, in living. When you are content like the river, you will have admiration. But that does not matter.” (Siji Tzu)