Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

              I am starting a new thread here mainly for purposes of my own catharsis. It is my intention, at least at this point, to make regular contributions. Of course, if anyone else has anything to add, they are more than welcome. If you have any input, please contribute.

              Over a year ago I decided to deal head-on with my self-diagnosed adult attention disorder, (ADD). The inability to stay focused was becoming too stressful. I found myself sitting around watching the clock tick, yet I couldn’t keep “on task” with any project I started. Nothing was getting done and just starting something was becoming depressing.

              The smart thing to do was probably to get professional help, so instead I decided to try to heal myself, at least as a first try. Cognitive therapy and pharmaceuticals (UGH) might be the approved way to go but I decided to try meditation first.

              18 months and countless self-help books later, I still can’t bring myself to a regular, formal meditation program. But, along the way, I discovered informal mindfulness. Yes, I know it is the “Fad” right now. It is hard to navigate modern social trends without “tripping over” somebody extolling the benefits of mindfulness.

              Let me add my voice to the chorus.

[PartTimeBrewer]

Guard against the impulse to allow temporary feelings the authority to make permanent decisions.

[PartTimeBrewer]

“Why do we so easily accept bad news but are reluctant to embrace good news? Maybe enlightenment is not about finding some truth that sets us free, perhaps it’s about recognizing which lies hold us hostage?” ~ Timber Hawkeye

[PartTimeBrewer]

"It’s hard to see sometimes, but most of the stuff that happens has got absolutely nothing to do with you."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

“We have a habit of looking at what surrounds us through a self-referential lens. We don’t just see a thing, we see the way that thing fits, or doesn’t fit, into our lives.” ~ David D Cain

[PartTimeBrewer]

As a musician must be aware of the tempo of his performance, we should remain focused on the tempo of our lives. Otherwise, we allow misleading mental states to edge us out of synch with our circumstances. In musical terminology, it is called tempo giusto, back to the exact time.

[PartTimeBrewer]

“If we were to become aware of our habitual thoughts, perceptions, and sensations, rather than being carried away by them, their power over us would begin to fade.” ~ Lama Surya Das

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Everything that happens to you is your teacher... the secret is to learn to sit at the feet of your own life and be taught by it." ~ Polly Berrien Berends

[Jozee]

“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see.” — Henry David Thoreau, author

[PartTimeBrewer]

"By patience, we do not mean endurance—as in “grin and bear it.”... The journey of patience involves relaxing, opening to what’s happening, experiencing a sense of wonder." ~ Pema Chodron

[PartTimeBrewer]

Sometimes Mindfulness philosophy reminds me of stoicism. The problem is that stoicism sometimes seems to mean settling for less or 'caving in' and enduring life without joy. As I understand it, this is a modern misinterpretation. The ancient stoics never meant to be that pessimistic. Joy can be found in emerging oneself in the flow of life rather than perpetually swimming upstream against it. I'm reminded here of the Serenity Prayer. Wisdom doesn't come without patience; the kind of patience that stays open to the wonders of change.

[PartTimeBrewer]

Father, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what cannot be helped, and the insight to know the one from the other.

~  Reinhold Niebuhr

[PartTimeBrewer]

“Anything you’re doing that tells you that your ”real“ life is in the future — and not right now — is depleting your energy. Everyone’s obsessed with magical before and afters, but the *process* is part of real life and maybe the best part of it.” ~ Heidi N. Moore