Day 24, January 18

"This too shall pass."

My goal for this year is to learn to live more mindfully. As with many things, it is easy when all is going well in life. But when things are challenging, it is more difficult. I found on a blog called Mrs. Mindful some insight on this. Here is an excerpt from a blog post on  How to Use Mindfulness In Times of Crisis or Challenge:


"When life presents us with the unpleasant and the unwanted there is a strong tendency of the mind to resist what is happening. Resistance to pain, though, just creates more suffering. It’s futile. . . . Feelings of fear, grief and loss naturally arise, and if I let them come and go without suppression, that is healthy and natural.

But if I begin to get into mental resistance patterns like ‘why is this happening to me?’ or ‘it’s not fair’ or ‘this shouldn’t be happening’ or ‘I want this to stop/ change/ go my way’ then I start fighting with reality. I start fighting with the present moment – and that, I know, is completely futile and just creates more layers of suffering. I will also lose touch with myself and the present moment if I get into resistance.

But the tendency to resist is strong when there is a lot of unpleasantness. That’s why I have been using my mantra that I always use in difficult times ‘This too.’

‘This too’ is my abbreviation for saying ‘I accept unconditionally the unfolding of this present moment in whatever form it takes – this too is allowed and accepted.’

‘This too’ reminds me to soften my resistance. It reminds me to stay grounded in presence (as best I can) and connects me to background of ease and peace even in the middle of this pain. I often repeat it mentally, sometimes out loud."

 Ed continues to struggle with pain. Tomorrow he will see a doctor so hopefully we will get some answers. In the meantime, I believe there is something to learn from "Mrs. Mindful" and I will remember...'This too'!