Mindfulness in everyday life
In May, I participated in an Art & Death Café. We painted rocks while sharing thoughts about life and death, honoring loved ones, and posing questions.
We receive loud and regular messages from society: Do more. This is urgent. Reply right away. Hustle, hustle, hustle.
"Is this your mid-life crisis?" my husband wondered. I clarified, "It's not a crisis; it's more like mid-life deep reflection." He smiled. I understood. My rewording changed nothing. It was the first week of classes and I was in crisis.
When I start teaching a new mindfulness class, I ask people to share what brought them to class. Notice if you see yourself in these comments...
I recently shared a story from prison with my heart-letter readers. The response was so positive that I'll share here, too…
The world is filled with hard truths and heart-wrenching news. Life is complex! Yet it’s important to remember all the good in the world, too.
The most common complaint I hear from students is “My mind is too busy. I just can’t meditate.”
At work and in life, events get cancelled. Meetings, classes, doctor appointments, lunch dates, and soccer games—with regularity, one of these drops from your schedule.
We have many and varied conversations during the day. Yet we’re not good at listening. But we can change our habits!
In a typical day, we receive help—small or big—from a variety of people, but we don’t often pause to give specific appreciation. We quickly say “thanks” and move onto the next task.
I’ve spoken with people who have good, full lives yet long for more meaning and purpose. This is natural. Our lives ebb and flow. Still, I think there’s a nagging issue underneath.