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Mindfulness

Mar 19

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Webster’s Dictionary defines Mindfulness as: “Having in mind; aware.”

The Google for Mindfulness says:

“mind·ful·ness
ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/
noun
noun: mindfulness
  1. 1.
    the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
    “their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition”
  2. 2.
    a mental state achieved by focusing one’s awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one’s feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique.”
     
My favorite is, of course, the latter one. I would also add: “Doing one thing at a time.” We can, in fact, do only one thing at a time, even if one is a good juggler and has a lot of items in the air all at once. At that present moment, it is only one item at a time, even though all items are in movement. That is the art of keeping them in motion.
Life sometimes comes at us so quickly that we actually can get lost in the shuffle: Of feelings, thoughts, bodily sensations, actual events that are occurring in our lives, etc. What then?
The first thing you will notice as you get stressed out is that your breathing has changed: You are breathing from the upper body, leaving the diaphragm out of it altogether. When you notice this, you stop for just a second or two (or a moment or two), take a really, really deep breath.
You will notice that one act alone helps to calm you down. If you do not know how to do that, maybe it is time to look into a yoga class.
Focus is key here. What are you putting your attention towards? Is it a plethora of so many things that you feel like you, personally, must do all of them before the end of the day? That is common in our society, unfortunately. However, it can also, in fact, be a truth. Each person has many roles to play every day. Often the roles overlap and collide, causing a mess, both inside and outside of you. What then?
As we age, we also lose the ability to keep “balls in the air.” We slow down. Our responses are slower. I don’t believe that life is moving faster. It is just that we are moving more slowly.

Your choices are clear: Get on that spinning merry-go-round and keep going until you drop from fatigue, OR STOP, BREATHE, Prioritize, figure out what is number one, do that, and then move on to number two. Anything else leads to insanity and ill health.

Besides, it does not work very well if you just jump on and keep going. Even Type A personalities get tired.

Meditation is taught in so many forms these days. If you need a quiet mind to function at your optimum level (and most people do), even a few moments in the morning before you begin your day is enough. Beauty is everywhere around us. Look for it. Take a few seconds to enjoy it. It just takes Focus and Awareness.

When the tempo of the dance of your life picks up to a pace where you can no longer keep your rhythm, something has to change. You just have to decide what that is. Are you willing?

God’s blessings upon your journey!

Flowers – Hibiscus

Autumn, Maroon Bells, CO

Autumn at Multnomah Falls, Oregon

beauty Mt Sneffels, Co

What’s up?

Baby Goslings

 

 

 

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One Thing At A Time

Jan 30

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Daily life occurs at a fast and furious pace. One cannot finish doing some task before ten other appear in the TO TO List. How good are you at multitasking?

As an analogy, I used to be able to keep track of ten planes (tasks), keeping them 1,000 feet apart without any problem. Like a juggler, I could keep ten plates spinning on sticks simultaneously, just adding a touch of momentum to each one to keep them spinning. Note that I said “used to.” As I age, I have found that, if I concentrate on one task at a time, I can accomplish it much more quickly and certainly in a better manner because I am focusing on one thing only. I note distractions that occur while I am doing that one thing so that I can follow-up later. But I put enough energy into that one thing so that it can be finished. Then I move on to the next task.

My To Do List helps me so I can see the overall needs of the day, but then I prioritize. During the day, my priorities may need changing. I can then adjust whatever and still stay on my list. Sometimes, tasks are added and deleted or moved to another day.

At the end of the day, I do not beat myself up because I have many things that are not finished. Sometimes, my daily To Do List becomes a weekly one, or a monthly one if need be.

But I can assure you that I get more done in less time than many others do. I maintain a calm, poised attitude most of the time and do not permit negative emotions to affect my activities.

This is not a fairy tale. I have spent years in chaos and mayhem. One has to learn to deal with it rationally so circumstances do not dictate your day.

So how about you? Are you willing to make some changes so you can actually do 1,000 tasks, one at a time, calmly and with attention to details without going crazy?

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