TBD

TBD on Ning

              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.

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A reminder that I'm not as good as I think I am at divining other people's motivations. Sometimes (more often than not) it's not just all about me.

"Forgiveness is not an occasional act, it is a constant attitude."  ~  Martin Luther King

"Forgiveness means giving up all hope of a better past."  ~  Unknown

"The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them."  ~  Paulo Coelho

"Our thoughts and ideas are nature, just as much as waves on the ocean or clouds in the sky."  ~  Alan Watts

"I do not meditate asking for peace. I meditate, and soon peace asks for me."   ~  Everyday Mindfulness

"A child can teach an adult three things: to be happy for no reason,  to always be busy with something, and to demand with all his might that which he desires."  ~  Paulo Coelho

If I seem a bit late, it's because I'm on Pacific time for two weeks. If I seem a bit less thought out, it's because I'm distracted by grandbabies.

It's the grandbabies that are hammering down the meaning of the above quote right now. It's the third lesson that needs some deeper thought. The three year old is very good at dispensing that lesson. OK the baby is too, but her desires are a bit more basic and manageable. The road to adulthood requires learning which of our desires are possible, reasonable and in the best interests of ourselves or others around us.  We have to learn when to weed out our damaging or unrealistic desires. But the reminder here is to be like the small child when it comes to the rest.

On rereading yesterday's thought from Paolo Coelho, I think I want to mount a small challenge to lesson #2 as well. (To always be busy with something) I will agree that a child's spontaneous activity is enriching and more life enhancing than sitting around being bored, but again maturity should bring discrimination regarding our choice of activities and the realization, as well, that not all down time is wasted time.

Two quotes from Everyday Mindfulness:

"The main drives of our business and distraction is uncertainty."

"Our minds try to persuade us that being busy is important. It's rarely as important as we think."

"With forgiveness, your victim identity dissolves and your true power emerges - the power of Presence. Instead of blaming the darkness, you bring the light."  ~  Eckhart Tolle

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