It doesn’t take much to look at life and pick out the negative; the grotesque. Pain, suffering, death and despair don’t lurk in the shadows, no, they hover near our faces, sit down at our dinner table and pad through our hallways as if they belong. With negativity at such an all time high it doesn’t take a keen eye to focus on the dreary, the despondent wallowing of our lives. It is the lazy soul who wallows and rolls in the mire of our condition.
It takes a much more controlled and aware, might I say mindful one to find the streak of hope, the burst of sunshine, the one, minute inkling of something better. It’s not that the good isn’t present, it’s only whether or not we have trained our sight to focus like a laser onto the good.
Mindfulness is a new topic to me–a new practice. Before you run for the hills, let me rephrase that to read living in the moment. Recently at a conference I mentioned mindfulness by encouraging my audience to close their eyes and consciously become aware of their surroundings–of the chair beneath them, of their feet on the semi-plush carpet.
The same practice can enable us to appreciate our lives even more. Does this examination of the good drown out the bad? Does it negate the injustice? By no means, but it does supply hope in an ever-wanting world.
So here’s to the one day reprieve in between the apocalypse of the stomach bug in a house of four kids. Here’s to short runs and hot showers and three pages read while the children aren’t waging the next world war between themselves. Here’s to the silver lining, the plush carpet, the heated car, and the warm blanket at night….
Have you ever practiced mindfulness? How has it helped you?
Today be mindful of your surroundings. Take note of the floor under your feet, the cold wind biting at your cheeks, the sloppy toddler’s kiss. The memory will only add to the reservoir of experience from which to draw when you are writing.
Hoping you have a lovely weekend,
Mandy Scarr says
November 30, 2012 at 7:31 amKristina,
What a great reminder this morning. I need this, badly. Thank you for sharing your heart, and for reminding me to stop and just be. Blessings to you.
Kim Hall says
November 30, 2012 at 8:29 amThanks for this always important reminder on being mindful and the joy and inspiration it brings!
I work on being mindful as often as I can, as it has the incredible power to dictate how I feel about my day. What we pay attention to grows, so when I focus more on the multiple reasons to be grateful, I see more of that. Simple concept, yet not always so simple to do. 🙂
I had mindfulness in mind—to be thankful in all circumstances—in this excerpt from my ebook:
Draw an imaginary circle three feet around where you are right now. Carefully view everything in that space as a potential object of your thankfulness. Here are just a few things you might see: a floor, a roof, windows, air, clothing, jewelry, shoes, your hair, appliances, fingers and toes. Think beyond the object to what it represents for you: freedom, relationships, the ability to work or to hold a loved one’s hand, security, safety, warmth, etc. Express your gratitude for those things. Nothing is too big or small to qualify.
Take note of who or what is bothering you today. Change your perspective so you can see the good, and express your gratitude. Did you have a run-in with a surly person? Give thanks for the reminder to always be gracious and respectful.
Diane Bailey says
November 30, 2012 at 10:46 amThis is Beautiful Kristina–being mindful of our surroundings. My husband is the best at reminding us, that even on bad days we need to be thankful, because we have it better than most of the world. Thank you for this beautifully worded reminder.