When I first started volunteering at the farm I was focusing a lot on all the things I didn't like or agree on. I would check the clock every ten minutes to see how much time was left till the working hours were over. Yesterday I realized that such attitude was only making things worse for me. I had to accept that I wasn't at my place anymore and that things were done differently here according to the interests and experiences of those who built it. Also, constantly checking the time only makes it go slower.
Today I decided to focus on finding a work rhythm that is pleasant and productive at the same time and to forget about time. Better to work some extra without realizing it than to be suffering because time doesn't go as fast as you want it to. Besides, a life where you're just waiting for things to finish isn't worth living.
Things went a lot nicer, I got a lot done and the work hours flew by. I feel that this is key to living a good life; to worry less about how much time and focus more on what you do with it.
A magical thing happened too. I was sharing the volunteer house with a guy who was a bit hard to get along with. He was ok on conversation but had some passive-aggresive behaviours such as using up all the common spaces with his stuff or being loud when I was sleepin. My thoughts would start to get a bit dark and hateful towards him but I would try to not judge. I remembered something a friend once told me about singing Maha Mantra (Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama Hare Hare). He said that the human mind tends to repetition, so instead of just repeating whatever earthly things we're repeating (such as "this guy is so stupid, how can he do that?") we can repeat transcendental words such as Maha Mantra.
Everytime I caught myself judging the guy I would replace those thoughts with Maha Mantra and I even begin singing it out loud, which would make him silent and reflexive. Today, after singing it while working, he picked up his stuff and left, like really left. So now I'm relieved to not have to put up with his bad attitudes (or at least bad for me as they robbed me of peace), and feeling grateful to Krishna for sending him on his way. Very powerful stuff 馃檹 I think of the personalities of God, Krishna is just the coolest 馃槑 and friendliest, looks after you and makes your life so much more pleasant.
I have many other stories when Krishna has helped me but I'll share them some other time 馃槉
