I've lost my mind(fulness) again!

The other day I misplaced my phone three times, lost my keys, stubbed my toes more than once and only half listened to something my husband said to me. Oh, and I almost left the house without letting the dog back inside.

Sound familiar? How much time do we spend not being present to the, well, the present? We're always thinking about something else; what we need to do next, don't forget ____, I can't believe what so-and-so said the other day blah blah blah. That's an awful lot of noise being created inside our heads! It's no wonder we misplace stuff, have accidents and relationship issues! Not to mention the amount of over-the-counter pain reliever we're taking for headaches!

This is our life and we spend hours/days/weeks/months/years mentally checked out from it! What would happen if we actually made the effort to focus on the task at hand? Even something as simple/boring/tedious as washing the dishes?

Try it. The next time you notice you are not present to what you are doing, pause for a moment, take a slow deep breath and focus on what you are doing. Let all the other thoughts come and go and focus on your task. Notice your breathing, slow it down. Nothing matters but that very moment and the task at hand. Notice what is going on in your head. Is it quieter? Calmer? More peaceful? Notice the stillness.

Notice how you feel when you are finished with your task. Take a moment to observe yourself. No need to rush into the next task. It will still be there after you have taken this time to pause.

Congratulations! You just meditated! You don't have to go sit in a quiet place with candles and complete silence or weird music. You can find the time and space to meditate anywhere, at any time!

Being mindful also has other bonuses: less time spent looking for phones, car keys, whatever because you actually notice where you put them as well as better relationships because you focus on the person you are with and believe me, they will notice!

Try it and let me know what happens!

Enjoy the journey!

Susan

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Today is my dad's birthday. That is always a challenge. Finding a card that doesn't sound fake, not too much sentiment, stuff I don't mean or, more likely, am afraid to say. It's hard with my dad, even at 50 years old, my inner child is still afraid to step out there for fear of getting hurt.

It's been a long road and, I'm grateful to say that we have a good relationship these past 20 years or so. We each know that we only have each other, I am his only child by birth, the only living link to my mother, his wife, who passed away in 1973.

He is a troubled man with hurts reaching back to his childhood still haunting him. I asked him once if he thought he could ever be at peace with his past and he told me no, it was too big. I think that's true sometimes. Our history seems just too big, too hard to tackle and so we go on, carrying our past with us as if long-ago pain happened just yesterday.

Making peace with the past is not easy and not a task to be undertaken lightly but let me tell you from experience that the hard work is worth the effort. Going through that dark forest and finally stepping out into the sunny meadow is worth all the work. The lightening of the spirit brings about deep peace and joy.

As you journey into the past, don't forget your supplies: a compass so you always know you are going in the right direction, a box of tissues to dry your eyes and a soft place to fall when you are too weary to walk any further.

S.