March 1st, 2010

I picked up a Ladies Home Journal (LHJ) while out shopping. I have never purchased one (it seemed too “old lady” for me) but there was an article on the cover that caught my eye and I thought, “What the hell?” That evening when I ran a bath I decided to bring the LHJ with me and do a little reading. The letter from the editor discussed her hectic lifestyle and how an article on multitasking and learning to slow down, be thankful and pay more attention to life had changed how she approached daily tasks. It had the same affect on me.

I have always felt a pull towards Eastern religion. I currently consider myself agnostic, but spiritual. I have decided to explore mindfulness in depth. It is a type of Buddhist mediation that focuses on appreciating life in the present moment. I immediately started implementing a few of the article’s simple seven step program.

The first step is to simply take ordinary chores and ask yourself, “How cam I take this moment and feel a sense of joy or gratitude?” As luck would have it the perfect opportunity presented itself for this one. Two words: Super Walmart. My daughter has been congested for a few weeks now and on recommendation from a friend my husband and I decided to “pop” into the Super Walmart to get some vapor baby bath to help her breath. An hour later (11pm) we found ourselves waiting in a hellishly long line surrounded by many irritated people. As I looked over at my husband who was visibly unhappy about the situation I figured there was no better time to try to find a reason to be thankful.

I tried another of the seven steps which asks you to concentrate on your breathing. I silently said “In, be calm” with every inhalation and “Out, now smile” with every exhalation until I felt calmer. Then I thought about how lucky I was to have the luxury of an accessible and affordable store that is open 24 hours a day and stocked full of every little thing I might need. How many babies were congested, but their parents could not afford to buy them vapor baby bath? How many babies would go to bed cold and hungry? I thought about the areas recently hit by disaster and how many children became orphans in just the blink of an eye. One of the many things I find contemptuous about Americans is our ability to take everything for granted. Instantly I felt better. I looked around and realized that many of the people there were buying supplies to care for their family. I was thankful that they have this option. It is easy to get bogged down in negative thoughts and internal dialogues. I really don’t want to pass this on to Natalie.

I decided to purchase a couple of books to help me as I embark on this new adventure. As I read through them and I attempt to implement these things into my daily life I am going to do my best to blog. I am going to try to sit down every evening after I get my beautiful daughter to sleep and write about how I did or did not find ways to add mindfulness into my day. I am going to just write freely. I’m not going to pay much attention to spelling or grammar. If you are remotely interested I would ask that you join me on this journey. I am not looking for religious debate however, so if you are not interested I respect that and ask that you simply not read. I am a huge believer in “whatever makes you happy” as far as religion goes. All I want to do is make myself better, appreciate my life more and be a good role model for my daughter.

Quote for the day:

If you don't know where you are going, any road will get you there. ~Lewis Carroll