Saturday, September 10, 2016

The Journey Trumps the Race

I have a small request:   Put down your Pumpkin Spice Latte and slowly step away.  We still have ten more days of summer and I don’t know about you, but I’d like to savor it.

I realize we are in the midst of back-to-school craziness and the stores are offensively displaying Halloween decor, but it is not time to swap sandals for sweaters.  Why are we in such a rush to move forward?  Don’t get me wrong, Autumn is my favorite time of year.  I love all things pumpkin, cider mills, the colors of the changing leaves and the smell in the air – but I don’t love it until September 22nd.  I know I preach the “stop and smell the roses” routine but seriously people….stop…and smell the roses…because they will soon be gone. 

Life moves so quickly but I am “simply positive” that if you consciously choose to slow it down, your life will be sweeter. When you slow it down, you pay attention.  You focus and find that things take on more meaning.  Mindfulness can be a challenge but it’s worth the effort. 

mind·ful·ness
ˈmīn(d)f(ə)lnəs/
noun
1.     1.
the quality or state of being conscious or aware of something.
"their mindfulness of the wider cinematic tradition"
2.     2.
a mental state achieved by focusing one's awareness on the present moment, while calmly acknowledging and accepting one's feelings, thoughts, and bodily sensations, used as a therapeutic technique


Mindfulness comes in all shapes and sizes.  Some people start their day by meditating or journaling.  Some make conscious decisions to give 100% of focus to “one thing at a time.”   I am a Sagittarius and it’s my nature to have a million things going on in my head at once.  Mindfulness is a challenge for me, and not something I’m successful at in all points of my life, but one thing I choose to focus on is Dinner Time. I have long upheld the tradition in my house that we sit down at the table for dinner. It may not be a fancy, home-cooked meal all the time, but it’s serious business.  There are “no toys” at my dinner table.  When my kids were little, it meant that I did not make extra food for Thomas the Tank Engine or a Ninja Turtle.  As they grew up, their toys moved to electronic games and then iPhones.  Whatever the material, it’s still not welcome at my table.  We do this amazing thing called “talking” and “listening”– exchanging ideas and sharing thoughts.  We don’t rush through our meals to catch the next episode of Wheel of Fortune – we take time to be together.  It is one of the few times during the day when my mindfulness is at its strongest.  I am 100% focused on our exchanges; I savor our banter; I relish our laughter; and I look my people in the eye during our conversations.  Taking time to sit for dinner is something a lot of people just don’t do anymore.  They are so busy working, or running errands, or taking kids to ballet and soccer, that dinner it has become an enigma.   I’m not saying “dinner” has to be your tradition, or your mindfulness intention – but it would be fulfilling to find time to slow down your pace of life and interact with, and pay attention, to those around you.


Your homework this week is to set an intention of mindfulness.  Find one area of your life you are willing to commit total focus to.  Discover how much sweeter that time becomes to you.




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