Mindfulness

On the weekends I love to get up early and lay in bed until the sound of the newspaper hits the driveway. I"ll make my way downstairs, put on a rather large pot of coffee and head to my favorite chair. This quiet time alone is a gift that sets the tone for my entire day. Little did I know, that on a rather ordinary weekend morning, my life would change.

My favorite chair is an old mission styled, solid oak, and leather piece, with wide arms that run it's full length. I can safely rest my coffee on one arm and the paper on the other. As I digest the paper the floor becomes littered with the various sections and by the time I'm finished, there's just enough coffee left for the Mrs.. Just as everyone else is getting up the paper appears reassembled and neatly placed by my wife's spot at the kitchen table. 

On a slow day I'll watch Book TV on C-Span, sports, or just flip channels until I get motivated to do something useful. On this day I chose Book TV. Congressman Tim Ryan (not Paul) a Democrate from Ohio was discussing his book entitled "A Mindful Nation". Congressman Ryan's presentation centered on how our political leaders who are so caustic and adversarial towards each other would benefit from the practice of Mindfulness. I knew he was right about our politicians but I had never heard of Mindfulness. I was about to flip channels when I heard him say, that parents are always yelling at their kids to pay attention and to focus in school. I will never forget what he said next, when he said, but they can't because they don't know how to relax. Tim went on to explain how Mindfulness would help them or anyone, even politicians, to relax and gain a stronger inner sense of calm.

I felt an immediate connection and started reading all that I could about Mindfulness. The more I read, the more it made sense. Mindfulness has two basic components: a philosophy of living in the present and the practice of meditation. Meditation has existed in various forms for thousands of years, and Mindfulness is about acceptance, in a nonjudgemental way, of the events and thoughts as they occur in your life at the present moment. There are several techniques associated with the practice, and I would strongly recommend looking into the idea of incorporating meditation into your daily life. I try to meditate every day and found that it has changed my life.

Over the past few months as I started writing and sharing my thoughts I've noticed a paradox. Now whenever I meditate I find that my mind starts to day dream more, and I start thinking about what I want to write. Part of mindfulness is to allow for the wondering mind and to accept all thoughts equally as part of your being present, but recently I've become a little too unfocused. I can't believe how much I  enjoying writing and sharing myself, one little story at a time.

Thanks so much, Don T