One zen quote that has stuck with me for a long time is “This is how you treat your life” (unfortunately I don’t remember who said this, so if you know, please let me know so I can give credit). I remember hearing it in the context of folding my meditation mat together, as this is supposed to be done neatly in a zen setting. 

More or less every time I carelessly leave something, the words “this is how you treat your life” pop up. Is carelessly how I want to treat my life? No! I notice that, and I stop and take care – if I can. For example, I go back and ask my family how they’re doing if I for some reason was too occupied not to. I go back and pay the proper attention, which is aligned with my values of what’s important in life. 

The times that I answer “I don’t care” to “This is how you treat your life,” I know that something is up. I then need to take care of myself and check in with my values. Thanks for letting me know!