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]

Many people squander so much of their life searching for the right person when they should be diligent about being the right person.

[PartTimeBrewer]

Being the right person dramatically increases the odds of being found by the right person.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Regardless of beliefs or background, people want similar things: to be loved, heard, protected, respected and viewed positively. Remember this when dealing with people. Modern life makes it easy to judge and dismiss others, but everyone shares the same fundamental needs."  ~  Daily Zen

[PartTimeBrewer]

"You cannot ask the darkness to leave. You must turn on the light."  ~  Sogyal Rinpoche

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Being grateful does not mean that everything is necessarily good. It just means that you can accept it as a gift."  ~  Roy T. Bennett

[PartTimeBrewer]

Some of my most important lessons in life where very difficult to endure but I would not have attained my current level of discernment without going through them.

[Westerly_2]

Good point. Agreed

[PartTimeBrewer]

"When your world moves too fast and you lose yourself in the chaos, introduce yourself to each color of the sunset. Reacquaint yourself with the earth beneath your feet. Thank the air that surrounds you with every breath you take. Find yourself in the appreciation of life."  ~  Christy Ann Martine

[PartTimeBrewer]

No really, do it. Don't just think "Oh what a nice thought" and move on to the next crises.

[PartTimeBrewer]

The transformation of a caterpillar to a butterfly is often used as a metaphor for the following old Zen proverb: "New beginnings are often disguised as painful endings." While quite inspirational in its own right, I realized today that it distracts from a fuller appreciation of the original state of being, caterpillarness.

[PartTimeBrewer]

"Caterpillarness. It's only when caterpillarness is done that one becomes a butterfly. That again is part of the paradox. You cannot rip away caterpillarness. The whole trip occurs in an unfolding process of which we have no control."  ~  Ram Das

[PartTimeBrewer]

Again, there are times that we must just work our ways through our life in order to develop into what we can become. If we have the faith and the patience.