Friday, February 19, 2010

Mindfulness

Once upon a time I was a very active, churchgoing individual. Over the years, as life has happened, as my world broadened and expanded, I stopped attending church. I didn't stop believing, I didn't abandon my faith at all, but I did stop going to church.

I have found it difficult to put myself in a place that is so limiting. I don't appreciate the exclusionary attitude many churches approach life with. That is not to say all churches are like that, but many are. I began to feel that there were other ways for me to worship that didn't involve being in church.

And then life happened. Again. Much like it is easier to be good at yoga if you go to yoga class, it is easier to be mindful of your spiritual life if you go to a spiritual place. With the arrival of Cooper in my life, my life took on a life of its own, if you know what I mean. It is that much harder to find a space in it, physically as well as mentally, that allows for me to get to that spiritual center. And I miss it.

I recently discovered a website that can be at times sort of sappy, but it suggests one thing a day that you can do to be mindful in your life. Today's suggestion was to "Take a deep breath and relax; it is all unfolding as it should."

Which is something that I KNOW, but keep forgetting. It is easy to get bogged down in the minutia, the franticness, the freak outs about fire fighters, the crap at work that you want to ignore but can't, pretty much EVERYTHING that takes your brain and soul away from experiencing life as a wonderful and blessed thing.

And it is wonderful and blessed. And things tend to work out the way they are supposed to. I mean, you have to participate, you have to do your due diligence and meet your obligations, but assuming you are out there doing what you need to, things work out the way they should.

So I am breathing, I am taking a moment and I am trying to give up the anxieties of the moment to the universe.

4 comments:

Dproudmama said...

Ah, be mindful of the 5 senses that site says for the 17th. That is odd in that there was a visitor to the library book store where two of us volunteered on that day.He clearly had not bathed for a while and perhaps had smeared body waste on his clothing. Our sense of smell was truly awakened and not blessed. BUT, we were reminded that we were fortunate not to be in his position. Ever grateful.

amanda said...

When we find those wrinkles in time that let us stop off the track of the day-to-day frenetics, it's a good thing. A very, very good thing. It takes a strong person, good for you!

The Church Lady said...

"Well, isn't that special?" (Actually, I'm a guy from "once upon a time." Hope this made you smile.)

Anonymous said...

I'm having a glass of wine and a cigarette.