BLISSFUL-BOHEMIAN

Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Mindfulness

I have been thinking about mindfulness and how I am failing miserably at it the last couple days.
My excuse for this is that I have had a hard week at work and I am tired, but really I think it is the fact that I am not paying attention out of laziness. So for the rest of the week it is my goal to be fully in the present and actually experiencing what is right in front of me instead of rushing through the mundane to get to the special. There is so much beauty and sweetness in life if we stop to discover it. This is not news, but it is so very easy to forget. This is our reminder :-).
Happy Wednesday.

9 comments:

sukipoet said...

thanks for the reminder. almost every day I have to draw myself back into the present moment, away from my babbling future/past thinking mind.

Roger Thomson, Ph.D. said...

One thing about mindfulness is that we have to be mindful to notice our lapses in mindfulness. So noticing that you have been "failing miserably" mitigates the failure quite a bit! There is a Zen saying: Buddhas are greatly enlightened about their delusions. Please enjoy your breathing.

mermaid said...

Thanks for the reminder, Annie. Don't we all rush through the mundane to get to the beautiful? You are not alone, but I hear you on the laziness part. Hopefully, you aren't to hard on yourself, and use your current mindfulness post to come back to here with a special hug for yourself for doing just that!

Anonymous said...

I think I am all too good at making to do lists that I need to get through, and not allowing much time for the unexpected joys. Thanks for the reminder.

LOL the verification word is woryings

Janice Lynne Lundy said...

Annie,
And as I understand mindfulness, it is all about just being present to what is--even the uncomfortable things, difficult things. Just acknowledge that we are in the midst of them. Mindfulness (as I practice it anyway) is not about getting through something, but being completely in the moment with all of it. And as Mr. Roger said here, breathing through it. It's all life.

And it's not about even doing something better or different. It can be about just being with your feelings of inadequacy or your thoughts of being lacking in mindfulness, does that make sense? And turning all that into compassion...sweet compassion for ourselves, and for everyone who struggles the same way. Hugs to you!

Unknown said...

I hear ya grrrl. But I will not give up my mindlessness when I get home from work. Sometimes being able to look forward to an evening of LOST or Desperate Housewives is what gets me through the day. I'm totally okay with that. love ya, grrrlie:>)

Laura Doyle said...

Have you ever heard the koan about killing the Buddha? Just curious.

Annie Coe said...

Suki-I relate.
Roger-Thank you for the very wise words.
Mermaid-I try to be kind to me as well as others.
Melaine-I think we all have this problem to some degree.
Jan-Yes! :-).
Shiny-You can be mindful about watching TV and relaxing :-). Love you too.
Starlene_ I have heard it, but am not totally clear on what it means :-).

Kelly said...

I'm with Roger. The mere fact that you noticed the lapse in mindfulness can be reason to rejoice instead of to despair. After all, who was it that noticed the lapse? The Wisdom aspect of you! So delight in the seeing. Love K