Nothing is exact. On the beach, there are millions of sand grains, and there is no real ending or beginning point as one might see in a sock drawer or on a desk. Grains of sand, leaves on the ground, snowflakes, and other physical entities that have no real defined beginning or end provide us with a sense that nothing can be completed.
There is too much stuff. Psychologists and organization specialists call it clutter and tell you to get rid of it, but how can you when you are knee-deep in the millions of things, thoughts, To Dos and plans, some of which are physical and some of which are just mental clutter? And how can you rake that last leaf, when it seems there is always another? I have witnessed stray autumn leaves remain when the spring flowers are pushing through earth’s crust, only to destroy the picture perfect image that Stepford Wives try to create.
Life is messy. You cannot make your home perfect. Once you clean your home, it does not stay that way. If it did, it would mean that human beings are not living there, and without change, and mess, and stuff, there is no life. So part of changing and organization and using time wisely is to be able to embrace your things.
In Buddhism, the concept of the ten thousand things resonates with those who feel overwhelmed by life’s complications. You look around and how many things do you see? Start counting. Maybe it is not ten thousand, but you will get beyond that if you begin to count the dust particles, individual paper clips, individual kernels of corn and so forth. Accept that your things cannot be corralled and should not be destroyed just to get organized. Enjoy life by managing your time and doing what you can in the limited amount of viable hours you have in a day.