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]

"If you spend your whole life waiting for the storm, you will never enjoy the sunshine."  ~  Morris West

[Westerly_2]

:^ )

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Meditation practice isn't about trying to throw ourselves away and become someone better. It's About befriending who we are already."  ~  Pema Chodron

[PartTimeBrewer]

"You do not have to act on every emotion."  ~  Everyday Mindfulness

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Breathe deeply three times before reacting."  ~ Danny Penman

[PartTimeBrewer]

"You don't have to change your behavior, question your assumptions and your behavior automatically changes."  ~ Byron Katie

[PartTimeBrewer]

Well, I am back home after three weeks at my daughter's house helping with her new family addition. Now I can return full time to my routines here.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"When you cover up the world with words and labels, a sense of the miraculous returns to your life."  ~  Eckhart Tolle

[PartTimeBrewer]

I'm too much of an existentialist to be comfortable with the concept of miracles, so I generally avoid using any form of the word; it's too easy to take away the wrong message. But, used as a metaphor, "a sense of the miraculous" tries to capture that feeling of splendor and awe that arises when exposed to realities beyond our understanding. No magic, just the child-like wonder of fresh perspective.

[PartTimeBrewer]

The irony here is in how I'm trying to use words and labels to convey the shortcomings of words and labels.

[PartTimeBrewer]

The original quote above should read "When you don't cover up the world with words and labels..." Somehow the word "don't" was omitted and the edited correction didn't get saved again.

[PartTimeBrewer]

THE MISCONCEPTION: You are one person and your happiness is based on being content with you life.

THE TRUTH: You are multiple selves and happiness is based on satisfying all of them.

David McRaney from You Are Not So Smart