The 4 Components of Life-Part 4

(That no one really told you about)

Rustic dining table with fruit bowl, citrus water, and gold bars
Some examples of Resources: Water, Food, Money….

Welcome again, new Substack subscribers!!

Recapping:

Over the last three weeks, I have been writing a series on how I believe all of life has Four Basic Components. No matter what you are doing, no matter what situation you are in, or who you are with, these four are in play:

1) TIME 2) TASKS 3) RELATIONSHIPS 4) RESOURCES

And why does this matter, I have asked?

It matters because some of the craziness in life we experience is due to NOT having these 4 in balance. We don’t have them in balance, or we are around people who don’t have them in balance, either. If we continue in life oblivious to this, and never reflect on it, we may well be running in multiple directions, never doing what we were “called” to do. We wind up angry and exhausted. We get frustrated with others, and then we might even escape into unhealthy behaviors to cope. This further “unbalances” us!

Balancing these 4 are key to having a life that feels less crazy!

Last week, I wrote on the 3rd Component: Relationships. We all have them. We may not like them all–but we all have them. I went on to say that we live in communities of connection. Such connections create a community of some fashion. It may be by blood, or a shared environment, like your neighborhood, job, or place of worship. I also pointed out why we must seek Alignment in our relationships, as bringing Alignment into our relationships is critical for a better, redeemed, humanity. All of our interactions with others matter, from your spouse, to the clerk at the store.

Now for the finale: Resources.

All Resources have limits.

We all know this–we may be in denial about it sometimes, but it is true. We probably don’t have as many of some resources as we would like, or need, but all of us have some measure of resources. We have air to breathe, and hopefully some access to water, food, shelter, and clothes, and means to acquire these things. I know some will point out that Time is a resource too, and I do not disagree. I simply feel that Time is it’s own thing in my Life Components, and hence why it is broken out separately.

We humans fight over resources! Certainly much war is based on resource needs and wants. Would the U.S. have fought so much in the Middle East were it not for the “black gold” in the sands over there? I know our politicians give more noble reasons, but I personally feel countries want/need resources from other countries, and this defines much of international relationships. But the purpose of this blog is not to dive into political issues.

How about you? You work somewhere to provide a resource you need: money. Yes, hopefully your job is something you enjoy, or are skilled at, or it may just be a means to pay the bills. For example, I work as an accountant. (No, I can not do your taxes, and I get asked that a lot.) I have skill with it, generally like doing it, and like the people I work with. I am paid well to do it. But, writing is something I love far more. Watching those words spill out on to the page (or screen), and somebody getting helped, or gaining insight, or encouraged by my little “wordsmithing”, now that is something special.

In my writing, I hope to become a different kind of resource–one of helpfulness, clarity about issues, and tools for practicing that will change your life. This is a “side-gig”, and as of right now, I do not charge for it. I am not ready to do that–and I know many do charge for access to their material. I’m just not ready for that yet. God will tell me when to update my “business model”.

We both use resources and are a resource to others.

If you are a parent, you are a huge resource, especially to a baby! Young children need all sorts of assistance with everything. Later, teenagers need guidance, direction, and help with “adulting”, like starting a job, and handling their money, etc.

What kind of resource do you want to be?

In the Biblical book of James in the Christian Scriptures, he says:

What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  (James 2:14-17, ESV)

James is speaking here of the practical application of Faith, but the point is also being made to use our resources for good. I’m sure many people reading this do indeed give to charities, or their church, or do some good in their community. But what else can we do? What else should we do? Do we have eyes to see needs around us, or are we busy getting to our next appointment, or checking our phones? I say this as someone who is an on-the-go New Yorker, with things planned months in advance, and very much “on my phone”. I get it. I too, have to stop and ask where I am “too busy” to be a resource. Do I let my day get too “jammed” to help others?

A tell-tale sign I am not relating rightly to the Resources Component

is my level of irritation if someone needs help.

Yes, we all need boundaries, and I have written right here in this blog about saying “no”. But do we leave room for any “yes’s”? Ouch-that actually hurts to write that–as I stink at it! If you are new to my writings, you will see I do ‘How do I practice?’ pieces to show that I am NOT some guru that has this stuff figured out. I am very much flawed, selfish, and confused, like so many of us. But, I know I can go to God, to prayer, to so many spiritual writings, and now to my beloved on-line community of connection! I actually have vast resources, maybe not monetary ones at the level I want, but human resources. I hope, Dear Reader, I can be such a resource for you!

How do you use the resources that you do have?

What do we spend money on? Like so many of us, I probably spend way too much on Amazon! The modern world has made it easy to buy darn near anything, and have it in a few days, or less. But I forget that such shopping has made “mom and pop” stores obsolete in so many places. It also wiped out getting to know “Bob” at the hardware store, as I just bought the tool online, and went with quick and connection-less shopping. Am I saying to quit Amazon, Shopify, or Uber-Eats, etc? No, but as we choose one resource, we don’t choose another, and there are consequences.

I can honestly say my consumerism is much more based on efficiency than connection. I think somewhere in my head: “I have a blog to write–I do not have time to drive to some store and hunt for a product.” (I don’t actually say that.) But many times the “quick click” on my phone or computer is not Aligned with Love, or is any love involved at all. Again, no guilt-trip is intended. My wife has various health issues that makes walking often painful for her, so she orders groceries online and picks them up. And yes, I could roam the grocery store on her behalf, but I think she would not be pleased with the results, and here we are.

There are reasons we do things online, but we should stop sometimes to look at how we use that resource, and why.

With all these Components of Life: Time, Tasks, Relationships, and Resources, we must take some time to think on them.

We have to slow down.

I have tried with each one of these Components to give some thoughts on things to look at. With Time, I of course pointed out time spent online, and on our phones. Some of us spend a lot of time on this! This was something that only a few decades ago–did not even exist. With Tasks, I asked about what tasks may have outlived their usefulness, and were now “just because”. With Relationships, the point was made that every relationship matters. You don’t have to be buddy-buddy with everyone, but you can be polite and kind. Yes, you can. We can all think about how we use Resources, as residents of Planet Earth. We forget that so much of what we use is not “eternal”. It will wear out, break down, become obsolete, and so forth.

Be wise. Take some time, and look at the other three. Perhaps a relationship needs mending that we keep going over and over about in our heads. Maybe some tasks need to be delegated. Maybe it is time to get to know “Bob” at the hardware store, or push a cart around now and again for groceries. Just watch the lettuce!

Balancing these 4 Components of Life will help you become a more Loving Presence.

Ditching unnecessary tasks, or putting your phone down, will make you more present to family and friends. Dialing down some consumerism is better for the planet–you do not have to be a super-environmentalist to see that! Time with a book, sipping a beloved beverage, actually talking face-to-face with someone, are all ways to slow down, and bring some balance to our over-busy modern lives!

As I say so often: Honestly, try to look at these Components. I have given you a framework to evaluate a lot of day-today life. Running in circles, and pushing-pushing constantly is not healthy. I know there are seasons and situations where options are limited, but even a small little tweak in one of these Components can pay off tremendously in the journey to being more Aligned with Love.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I hope you enjoyed this 4-Part Series. I usually do 3-Part series, but this was my first 4-Part. Let me know your thoughts. Think I missed some Component? Need some help balancing? I’d love to write more about it, at a later date. I’m going to give my yards some love, and run some “Reprints” for a bit.

Like what you read? Let me know-I appreciate your feedback.

Thank you so much for your time!

-Eric the Wordsmith

BP52

Have any additional thoughts or comments? You can click on the comment link, or you can email me at the address provided. Have ideas you want me to write about, or questions? Want to tell me how much you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) my content? All are acceptable, but be nice, please. Thanks! alignwithlove85@gmail.com.

Simplicity

(Reprints)

(Kennebunk Beach in Maine, USA, photo taken by me, May 2026)

(Writer’s Note: I started my Blog on WordPress in February of 2026. Now, as I have started also posting on Substack, let me take this opportunity to reintroduce myself to people who really don’t know who I am, or what I am about. So, here is another of my “Reprints”, essays/articles I wrote, but you may have missed! Think of this as reruns of a beloved TV show that you never got a chance to watch the first time. Enjoy, and get inspired.)

From May 3, 2025: (This was the very first “full post” on my Blog.)

I was planning to build out my “Posting Calendar” of what I would write and when, but in Morning Prayer today, I kept hearing the Word ‘simplicity’, and decided to write about it, before I get into more of the Calendar. Let God move, and the Creative Flow have it’s way!

It’s so easy for us to complicate things–we all know this. We live in a complicated world. Hang around me long enough, and I will yell: “Why can’t things just be simple?” Not everything is simple. I am an accountant by day, so I know this. Finances are NOT simple.

But I complicate my Inner Life. Fretting about how I said something: was I sincere enough, did I spend too much time on this, was I mean, on and on. When you have OCD, these voices are incessant! Future posts will delve into my “Theory of the Realms”. But for now, the Inner Realm, of our soul, or inner thoughts and feelings, is an area where I feel we complicate ourselves. We want to feel a certain way, or think our thoughts should be a certain way. If you are Christian–we can quickly “beat ourselves up” over what is going on between our ears!

So, some healthy thoughts, flowing from my reading and praying. Try to imagine that stream of feelings and thoughts, as that: a Stream of Thoughts and Feelings. Be standing on the shore, and develop some detachment to watch some of what goes by. My biggest issue is to get lost in all those thoughts and feelings, or begin to judge them, and over-moralize them. These thoughts and feelings are just that: thoughts and feelings. I do NOT have to fix them, necessarily. Other people, more learned then me, talk about mindfulness, and that is what is needed. Just observe what is going on in your head without all the judging.

Simplicity is not taking ourselves too seriously, having some lightness with how we approach things, and there is so much more to say on that! As Christians, I think we quickly over-judge ourselves if we are angry, or feel frustrated with someone else. If our thoughts are not “holy”, and we have our own definitions of that, we quickly feel “less than”.

The words of Psalm 46 from the Hebrew Scriptures ring true again: “Be Still, and know…”

Try today to be still among all the To-Do’s. Be simple. Breathe. Don’t try to fix every little thought and feeling. Instead, ask God to show you what He (She) may want to regarding those thoughts. Maybe more compassion is needed for a co-worker, child, or spouse. Maybe we over-booked our day, and are now feeling stressed-out at 9AM. Breathe. Be present to what is right in front of you. When I was in 12-Step Practice, I was asked: “Where are your feet, Eric?” And I would say, very annoyed: “Right here, on this floor.” Then that person would say: “So should the rest of you.”

So, be where you are, right now. Breathe. Do what is in front of you to do. If you follow Christian Practice, the Holy Spirit is in you and all around you, to remind, guide and direct you. Trust that! If that is not your Practice, be open to what I call: “The Great Flow” of the Universe, which is really the same thing, just said more expansively.

Enjoy your day. Remember: you can start your day over anytime.

Like what you read? Let me know-I appreciate your feedback.

-Eric, the Wordsmith

BP51-R1

Have thoughts or comments? You can click on the comment link below, or you can email me at the address provided. Have ideas you want me to write about, or questions? Want to tell me how much you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) my content? All are acceptable, but be nice, please. Thanks! alignwithlove85@gmail.com.

The 4 Components of Life-Part 3

(That no one really told you about)

Two elderly hands gently holding each other, one wearing a gold wedding ring.
Two holding hands-one older, one younger.

Welcome again, new Substack subscribers!!

Recapping:

Last week, I continued my series on how I believe all of life has Four Basic Components. No matter what you are doing, no matter what situation you are in, or who you are with, these four are in play:

1) TIME 2) TASKS 3) RELATIONSHIPS 4) RESOURCES

And why does this matter, I asked?

It matters because some of the craziness in life we experience is due to NOT having these 4 in balance. We don’t have them in balance, or we are around people who don’t have them in balance, either. If we continue in life oblivious to this, and never reflect on it, we may well be running in multiple directions, never doing what we were “called” to do. We wind up angry and exhausted. We get frustrated with others, and then we might even escape into unhealthy behaviors to cope. This further “unbalances” us!

Balancing these 4 are key to having a life that feels less crazy!

You can NOT do everything. You can NOT be everything to everyone.

Last week, I continued with the 2nd Component: Tasks. I wrote about how everything we do involves some kind of task, whether we enjoy it or not. I asked us to consider reflecting on tasks that add no value, or have outlived their usefulness. One example I gave were my Mom’s changing her curtains seasonally, and how that was a task I could let go of. Another was my Dad’s Christmas Eve Dinner, and trying to squeeze that in each year, and realizing it was too much.

In both the Time and Task Component, there are obviously relationships. This brings us to the 3rd Component of Life: Relationships. We all have them. We may not like them all–but we all have them. Just as there is always a Task and Time component to everything, there is a relational component to everything too. People ask us to do things. We have aging parents that need our help. We get asked to help friends move. We have to help our kids with homework, or life-guidance. Why?

Because we live in communities of connection. We are connected to the people around us in some way. Obviously, one is by blood, such as being siblings or cousins, or something. Then we have work communities, where we work together, at a job, or on some project. I am not speaking to the depth of these relationships. I am saying there is a connection that creates a community of some fashion. Maybe it is just that you live on the same street. There are also Faith communities, where you attend the same church, synagogue, or mosque. You might be in a Non-Faith community, where there is no thought of anything religious or spiritual.

We can not escape the Relational Component of Life. Even if you live alone in some cabin deep in the American Northwest, you are still relating to yourself, or pets, or wild animals!

Since we can not escape this, what can we do about it? Why does that even matter? Again, it matters

because bringing Alignment into our relationships is critical for a better, redeemed, humanity.

Am I saying that all your little interactions with everyone matter?

Yes. Yes, I am.

All these communities matter! How we speak, act, and think in them matter. Who you are in them matters! Your relationship with the grocery store clerk, or barista at the coffee shop, matters. Your relationship with your Boss, matters. Your relationship with other people in your household matters. Your relationship with God, or however you view the Divine, matters.

Will we be loving? Will we be kind? Will we bring some Openness, and some Lightness? I launched this Blog with a Trilogy called: “The Approaches to Life”, and I started with Openness. https://align-with-love.com/2026/02/16/openness/ To super simplify it: it is to have some open-mindedness to others. It is to NOT just assume they are wrong, immoral, or misguided, but to try and actually hear them!

Lightness goes along with it: to NOT take yourself and your opinion so seriously that you must always be (or feel) right.

One of my taglines is

“Be Open. Be Light”.

This is a Foundational Principle of my philosophy. It is the First of my Core Concepts. You can not get Aligned without starting to be more Open and Light–and you need God’s help. Good ideas and intentions are not sufficient. Please try not to bristle at that if you and religions notions and spirituality are not the best of friends. I am offering a gentle onramp to the Pathway to Life, to Alignment with the Love filling the Universe. We may not feel, perceive, or believe in this at all. But it is there. It is all around you.

Every interaction with other people is an opportunity to experience that love, or give it back.

As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Church at Rome in the 1st Century: “Love each other in a way that makes you feel close like brothers and sisters. And give each other more honor than you give yourself.”  (Easy To Read Version, Romans 12:10)

I happened to find that translation–and I really like that rendering. Love others in a way that makes them feel close, and honor them more than yourself. Do you see how much this is lacking in our culture in America? Yes, of course there are many who do this well in their marriages, families, jobs, towns/cities, etc. But there are many who do not! What could our world be if we would just start with some more openness and lightness? My God, if we were just more polite to one another! (And my wife said: AMEN.)

Sometimes these things I write may seem so obvious that it can be easy to skip on, or even ignore. But we know we all have work to do in this area. We are surrounded by a culture that is filled with people who are not Aligned with Love, whether it is consideration for consequences, or consideration of how someone might feel. And yes, this can go too far the other way, where we are afraid to say anything that may offend someone. But I think that how we say it is so important. A nasty response does not encourage a nice response from the other person!

Yes, yes, yes–we do need to be polite and respectful. It really does matter. Taking a breath when someone says something mean to you, can make a world of difference! Can we live with someone who disagrees with us? Can we? Can we be nice about it, and not post it for the world to review and comment on?

Ah–things to think on. I think deep down inside so many of us see the politics of our time, and the disagreements, and the fighting and arguing, and feel no hope. We feel like we can never get back to places of agreement. But I am here to tell you–we can. Just as it is easy to be mean, we can be nice. The whole point of Align With Love, this whole blog, is to help us get back there, both in our hearts, and with one another. It is intended to serve as a roadmap to better civility, to harmony, to working together.

We can have healing, in ourselves, and with others. God makes this possible! God has made this possible, and we need only to be open to Him/Her and receive some of that Lightness. Alignment is there to be found, to be practiced, and to be a transforming agent.

We can begin again. We can begin again with broken relationships. We can find peace in our hearts. We can revisit “old tapes” or “old data streams”, and let them be re-written. We can have balance in how we relate to others, and how, when, and why we do what what we do.

Join me. As I have said before, I am no Priest, Pastor or some guru. But I know, I know—I am supposed to keep telling you, Dear Reader these messages I am writing. Hear, and ponder. Take it all to heart. Don’t just get inspired, although I hope you do.

But ask yourself:

How can I be a Loving Presence in this situation?

Yes, we do need boundaries, and part of being a Loving Presence is to know when to step away to “recharge”. Did not Christ himself step away to pray? It is said repeatedly in the Gospels that Jesus went off to “lonely places” to pray. Whether you believe in Him, or not, you can not say He was not the embodiment of being a Loving Presence!

So, as you relate to others, do tasks, and use time–do it with love in mind. Do it with love in your heart. This is the Way.*

Next week–I will finish this series. The Final Component is: Resources. How do we use those? Do we use them well?

* From “The Mandalorian” on Disney+.

Like what you read? Let me know-I appreciate your feedback.

Until next week,

-Eric the Wordsmith

BP50–YES, 50!!!!! (BP is Blog Post.)

Have any additional thoughts or comments? You can click on the comment link, or you can email me at the address provided. Have ideas you want me to write about, or questions? Want to tell me how much you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) my content? All are acceptable, but be nice, please. Thanks! alignwithlove85@gmail.com.

What’s it all about?

(Reprints)

(Writer’s Note: I started my Blog on WordPress in February of 2026. Now, as I have started also posting on Substack, let me take this opportunity to reintroduce myself to people who really don’t know who I am, or what I am about. So, here is another of my “Reprints”, essays/articles I wrote, but you may have missed! Think of this as reruns of a beloved TV show that you never got a chance to watch the first time. Enjoy, and get inspired.)

From February 9th, 2026:

So, why should you bother reading this blog? Well, maybe you know me, or like me, or read some of my posts on Mastodon. I have labeled myself a writer, philosopher, and aspiring mystic. I come with no fancy credentials, or degrees. Like other things in my life, I backed into this, as I have spent most of my life in banking. But I always loved to write. I loved writing essays in college, while listening to Classical music, pretending I was creating something great, like Beethoven or Mozart.

         I don’t profess to be some “great writer”, although my mother told me I had a “way with words”.  (Love you, Mom.)

         When I was a boy, I recall an assignment to write about a picture of Mickey Mouse. Everyone else wrote a few sentences, but I wrote pages. I’d love to find it—not because I think it was so great—but what did little-kid me write in those pages?

         I think of the line from Chariots of Fire—“When I run, I feel (God’s) pleasure.” That’s how I feel when I write—like I am doing the “real thing” I am here to do. Not that the other things I do are “less than” or less important.

         There’s almost 50 years of ideas in this mind and heart—that I will now spill out onto the digital page.

         In the words of Leo Babauta from Zen Habits, “Come along and play with me.” I will write “religious stuff”, as that is my background as a Convergent Christian, but I believe in a very “reimagined” version of Christianity, learned from reading and listening to the likes of Richard Rohr and James Finley, and other Christian mystics they have alerted me to.

         If you have had bad experiences with “Christianity”—don’t check out. There is going to be much, much, more here than just some in-your-face Christian rhetoric.

         I have years of essays and journals in storage ready now to be cracked open. I intend to weave my experiences with the counseling I studied in school, my own “musings” on this life, as well as Jewish and Christian scriptures and readings, but not exclusively. I think God is speaking to us in many different ways if we have “ears to  hear”, so I may write on something in Nature, or something from Science Fiction, whatever speaks to me.

         I ultimately want to lay out my thoughts on the world—such as things I now call “The Approaches”, or the “Theory of the Realms”, or the “Unholy Trinity”. I intend to write on the importance of Practice, and emotional/mental wellness, and how we navigate this complicated world with peace and balance. Of course, a blog entitled “Align with Love” is going to talk about love-a lot. It’s going to talk about Alignment a lot, and what that even means. I also want to encourage you, as there are too many voices in the world forever telling us we are not “good enough”.

         I hope to say things you probably heard many times  before, but in a different way, so you can finally hear it all the other times it was said. I want you to hear healing words, words that will help you on your Journey of Life.

         Think of me as an adjunct to whatever Practices you do to stay sane, connect with God, Spirit, or Higher Consciousness, or maybe just something  to meditate on. I will help point you to other things and people that can get you more “in sync” with yourself, and align you more deeply with those “Realms”, and Love, as I mentioned earlier.

         I am not a therapist, counselor, Pastor, or Priest. I’m just a Friend, who wants to share his thoughts.

         The plan right now is to release a weekly Meditation or Essay each Monday/Tuesday, and then something from “the Vault”, or other older items on Friday/Saturday, that is old for me, but new for you.

         So, play along, and read along, for you might learn something, and you might hear something that will help you in your daily life to become that person you are supposed to be—as  others have said, your “True Self”. That is the hope. And when you read, put on some tea or coffee, or  whatever you like to drink, and slow down, breathe, and read what I have for you in the future.

Healing words require you to slow down.

And yes, please comment, or throw out ideas for topics that you want me to write about it, as you get more familiar with what I am writing about. Please know I will  try to read everything, but may not be able to respond to everything, as I do have a “day job”. I appreciate your time to even read this—and I will try my very best to make it worth your while.

“Be Open. Be Light”

Like what you read? Let me know-I appreciate your feedback.

-Eric, the Wordsmith

BP49-R4

Have any additional thoughts or comments? You can click on the comment link, or you can email me at the address provided. Have ideas you want me to write about, or questions? Want to tell me how much you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) my content? All are acceptable, but be nice, please. Thanks! alignwithlove85@gmail.com.

The 4 Components of Life-Part 2

(That no one really told you about)

Handwritten weekly priorities list on yellow notepad with checkboxes, highlights, and small drawings of clock, clipboard, hearts, and coins
An over-detailed To Do list! And not mine!

Welcome again, new Substack subscribers!!

Recapping:

Last week, I wrote about how I believe all of life has Four Basic Components. No matter what you are doing, no matter what situation you are in, or who you are with, these four are in play:

1) TIME 2) TASKS 3) RELATIONSHIPS 4) RESOURCES

Why does this matter, I asked?

It matters because some of the craziness in life we experience is due to NOT having these 4 in balance. We don’t have them in balance, or we are around people who don’t have them in balance, either. If we continue in life oblivious to this, and never reflect on it, we may well be running in multiple directions, never doing what we were “called” to do. We wind up angry and exhausted. We get frustrated with others, and then we might even escape into unhealthy behaviors to cope. This further “unbalances” us!

Last week, I started with the first Component: Time. I wrote about how we use our time, and I encouraged us to really think about what we spend our time on. One thing that many of us spend time on is web-surfing and scrolling. I made the case that while some escapism is not bad, too much time online doesn’t really shape our hearts well. In fact, I think it shapes us in unhealthy ways.

Again, I am not bashing content creators, myself included, but do we make content that keeps our readers/viewers glued to us? Our goal, I think, should be more than just accumulating likes, subscribers, and attention. Are we helpful to our audience?

What about Tasks? I am a very task-oriented person. I often view things though the prism of the tasks involved. Going on a trip? I have a “Trip Checklist” that I print out. It lists everything I need to bring, and things I need to check before I go. It’s helpful, and it makes sure I have everything I need for travel. I have similar lists for work, and home. I do like to sit down and plan what I want to get done this week, and this month, and this year.

You may not be at all organized in such a way, and my way isn’t “better”. I am certainly not as spontaneous as others! Regardless, we all have tasks to do, as I wrote last week.

No matter what you are doing or who you are with, some task is being done.

Even if it is just “hanging out”, it’s still a task, you are doing something. You may be doing something you love doing, or it may be drudgery. Maybe it is not required, but you choose to do it anyway. In a very broad sense, not all tasks are “required”, but we still do them, due to social constraints, or conventions, or beliefs.

Like time, I think we need to reevaluate our tasks. I use an App called “Things” for organizing myself, and have my life organized around what I call “Areas of Living”. I have one I call “Household Care”, and another I call ‘Work”. I regularly review items in these areas to see what I have to do, or feel I need to do. Then I can schedule these tasks on my phone and hence see what I have to do each day. Some may hate living like this, and others are already googling “Things”. It’s from a company called Cultured Code, and I do not derive anything from recommending them. It’s just what I use for keeping my life organized, and it helps me stay on task. There are many other such Apps out there, and paper and pen is fine, too.

As I said when I launched this latest series, I think

we must balance time, tasks, relationships, and resources better.

I believe balancing these will reduce stress, and make it easier for us to be what I think is truly important: being a Loving Presence to others. I’d love to tell you that my App makes me so balanced that I just sail through life with great peace and poise. Nope. Often I get stressed trying to “juggle” family, work, household, social demands, and the like. Sound familiar?? But starting to recognize the 4 Components helps me know when to say “no” and prioritize.

As I wrote last week: You can NOT do everything. You will have to make trade-off’s with everything you do. Observing ourselves is key. What do we actually do each day? What do we do that adds no value? Again, watching a favorite show, or a sports event is not necessarily bad. Keeping up with the social media folks you like isn’t bad either, but when is it enough?

And when is something good enough? I tend towards perfectionism, so sometimes I will spend way more time on something than someone else might. Is that bad? Maybe, especially if it really doesn’t matter, and other things (and people) are neglected, while I get that task done perfectly.

Why do you do what you do?

Really, why do you do it?

I wrote previously about Myths and Narratives https://align-with-love.com/2026/03/24/the-unholy-trinity-part-3/ in a fun series called: The Unholy Trinity: Ego, Expectations, and Myths. One thing I wrote is that:

Someone else Narrated our lives for us, and we Aligned with that.

Are you doing things because that is “what we do in our family”? Maybe there is a good reason, maybe not. Perhaps something is simply impractical, or outdated. I am not necessarily talking about moral things, but maybe we spend energy on things that really have outlived their use.

My Mother dutifully changed the curtains from Spring/Summer to Fall/ Winter each year in our house. This was a chance to wash windows, and in our home in the mountains, thicker curtains were a must in the winters of upstate New York. When I moved out to my first apartment, I continued this tradition, and dutifully changed the curtains. (Mom, no disrespect, this is just an example.)

When I later got married, my wife said: “Why do you do that?” And I said: “Well, my Mom used to do it.” My wife basically said something like she was not familiar with that, and we were not doing all of that anymore. Are our windows probably not cleaned regularly? No they are not. Do we have the same curtain up for like 10 years? Yes. Does it matter? No. This is one task that was an “unnecessary” family tradition that can go bye-bye.

Another was going to church each Sunday. That is different. In my Faith Practice, that is what I do, not because my Mom does it, but because it is good for my soul (I believe) and part of what I believe God wants me to do. Could I be doing other things on Sunday morning? Sure, but my body inside a Church building is one place where I become a more Loving Presence. So that is where you will find me!

Curtains and Church may not be even remotely your things. But maybe there is a holiday tradition that has become expensive or burdensome. Here in America at the time of this writing in August, “the holidays” are creeping up on us. Maybe it is time to talk about always going here or there for Thanksgiving or Christmas. (Dear reader, don’t blame me if there is a “holiday war” because you said “no” to going to Aunt so-and so’s this year. )

But to a put a fine point on it, my Dad loved to have me and my family for Christmas Eve dinner, but it was also the same night for my church’s Christmas Eve service. I recall trying to “squeeze it all in” when each locale was an hour from each other! I eventually had to tell my Dad we had to have our Christmas dinner another night, and he agreed. (I believe in the 12 Days of Christmas, so another day would do just fine. In fact, I had a wonderful Epiphany Eve Dinner once!) I know these conversations don’t always go so well, and some people get very hurt when their holiday expectations get messed with! But when I was rushing around on the “Holiest Night of the year”, as we Christians say, and my wife (and me) were exhausted, it was time to change that task!

As I said with the Time Component Last Week: Think about the tasks you do. What could be discarded? Again, I’m not saying to stop bathing, or eating, or “quitting” all you friends. But maybe some tasks really don’t need to be done. Maybe they don’t need to be done as frequently.

Some years ago, we purchased a “robot vacuum”, so we could skip lugging the vacuum cleaner out every time we have company. We push a button, and a little circular robot glides around our floors, and does a decent job keeping our main floor clean. I know that some tasks can’t be whisked away with tech or money, but this was a small one we could do for not too much cost. Then we can do other things to get ready for guests, instead of running the vacuum ourselves.

Observe yourself. Stop to consider if that task is really necessary. Maybe that work report that no one reads can be ditched, or maybe the leaves can be allowed to pile up a bit. Maybe that thing you feel “you have to do” because “that’s just what we do”, needs to be revamped, or dumped. If it causes you stress, and you can dump it without major hassle with inlaws/family, consider dropping it. Like my Dad wanting to have Christmas Eve Dinner, it could be done on another day. Then we both didn’t have to “clock watch” to get to church on time, or back on the road, which really defeated the whole point of being together anyway.

With Tasks and Time, there is the Relationship Component as well–so that is next week’s topic. We have to balance Tasks and Time in our Relationships, as they take time and cause us to have tasks to do as well!

Like what you read? Let me know-I appreciate your feedback.

Until next week,

-Eric the Wordsmith

BP48

Have any additional thoughts or comments? You can click on the comment link, or you can email me at the address provided. Have ideas you want me to write about, or questions? Want to tell me how much you enjoy (or don’t enjoy) my content? All are acceptable, but be nice, please. Thanks! alignwithlove85@gmail.com.

Align With Love

How to be a more Loving Presence in the world.

Skip to content ↓