You may be thinking…”What is blitheness?”
Blitheness is the state of being blithe. Did that clear things up?
The word blithe means joyous, merry, or happy in disposition; glad, cheerful: a blithe spirit.
We all know that person who boasts of holding positions that are always and only fulfilling. To which we say (at least to ourselves) “Seriously?”
Even exciting assignments and positions involve drudgeries. Let’s see…laundry, filling out forms, following steps, getting ready to go out for the day. Duties can be irritating.
But, why are some people thrown off by irritations while others remain lighthearted about them?
That question can most likely apply to every one of us. A specific duty may on one day be met with lightness and ease while the same duty on a different day may irritate. To a degree, that is simple human nature.
According to the Shaker lifestyle and mantra, in God’s realm, it is not the number of our petty duties or the lengths of our to-do lists that make life difficult. The answer appears to be the spirt in which we address our day’s details.
That is not to say that we always “grin and bear it” (that saying seemed befitting here – wink, wink). The adage of grinding our teeth and pushing through will not change our spirits. Those attitudes often fail us.
The hope is to be able to laugh in defiance at the often self-imposed daunting lists and to keep a perspective that allows blitheness to develop. The word develop, of course, insinuates practice.
Chores and duties will always be with us. That fact is an example of “accepting the things that cannot be changed.”
However, a blithe spirit; a serenity, will bring an ease and a lightness to the tasks.
Cheerfulness, like gloomy pessimism, is contagious. Blitheness is one germ I won’t mind catching.