May 30, 2017 - Summer!

"Begin doing what you want to do now."

The past week has been very busy with many things happening. Mostly, these have been things I've been wanting to do.  I have been lucky enough to spend time with all of my grand kids. When in the presence of the kids, I experience such profound joy...it is so easy to be in the moment. Jaylin and Jace came over for a "sleep over". I attended Cade's 2nd birthday party, Ellie's first dance recital, and spent time playing ball with Brody. I also spent time with two different friends. One I hadn't seen for over a year. When you can spend a full day together and it's like you saw each other just yesterday, you know you are lucky in this friendship. I also spent extra time with Ed as he traveled to Columbia, MO with me.

This summer I am not working full time and plan to continue to find time each week to do things that bring me happiness. I love summer and what it brings...ball games, swimming, vacations . . .sunshine!

Happy summer!

Days 157 - 167

May 21 - Flower Gardens

"Stop and smell the roses."

Today I have been busy all day working in the yard and flower beds. My mom and dad were both great gardeners. Living in their house now, I'm trying hard to maintain the perennials so cared for over the years by my parents. The interesting thing is, I've never been much into gardening - flowers or otherwise. But today, I really enjoyed myself! My mom told me once that after her dad passed away was when she began her herb garden. She could immerse herself in the work and she found pleasure in the planting, pruning and fruition of her work. She said she found a sense of peace doing this. That's how I felt today.  I felt a sense of peace and joy as I was working with the flowers. Who knows, maybe I'll turn into a gardener!

It's been a year this week since my mom passed away. My heart is heavy at times with the sense of loss. But today, I was "happy in the moment".  And you know what? I think that would make Mom and Dad happy too! A good mindfulness tip to remember: 

 "Wherever you are, be all there!"

One of my roses.

Days  143-156

May 8 - Nature

"Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished."

A few weeks ago I noticed a bird's nest in our yellow rose bush. I every so gently pulled down the branch and sure enough confirmed there were eggs inside of the nest. Over the weekend I noticed the baby birds. This evening for the first time I noticed their little heads and beaks popping out of the nest as the mamma bird flew in to feed them. As I was observing this, I started thinking about birds and what I can learn from them in my mindful living journey. It's been nice enough to sleep with the windows open lately, and I enjoy waking to the birds singing. So what can we learn from birds?

1) Be confident - Trust yourself and be confident to try new and different things.

 “A bird sitting on a tree is never afraid of the branch breaking, because her trust is not on the branch, but on her own wings.” – Anonymous

2) Spread your wings - until you do, you have no idea how far you can fly.

3)  Flock together - keep friends and family close.

4) Start your day with a sense of joy. The birds greet the beginning of a new day with a chorus of sounds. They seem elated with the dawning of a new day.

Be mindful of nature and the beauty it provides us!

(Days 139-143)

May 3 - Phone Distractions

"Distraction wastes our energy, concentration restores it." -Sharon Salzberg

My phone continues to be a distraction from my mindful living. Early on when I started this blog, I talked about how it was hard for me to eat mindfully, because I often checked Facebook or email on my phone. It amazes me how often I feel the need to check my phone. Of course there are many benefits from having a phone, but how many times do we let it get in our way of having a focused conversation, an uninterrupted dinner, or getting work done without interruptions. Does anyone else struggle with this? An article called "We Need a Break From out Phone" goes into a lot more detail about problems created from being tethered to our phones. The article goes on to give some great suggestions for managing your cell phone usage. Something as simple as taking a walk and leaving your phone at home or setting it to "do not disturb" during certain time periods.I think a good goal for myself and all of us would be to evaluate if our phones are keeping us from living mindfully.

 

Days 132-138