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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