HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I want your 2012 to be happy, yes.  But I also want it to be healthy, prosperous, fun, and everything good.  I'm not talking about "resolutions" this year.  I'm revisiting last years'. I've written about resolutions in some of my previous posts ('Twas The Night After Christmas, Part 1 - 12/2/07, Part 2 - 12/12/07; A New Year's Jingle - 12/22/08; No Resolutions For 2010 - 1/1/10; 2011 - 12/12/10).  


I want this to be a Mindful 2012 for me, and I recommend it for you.  To be more aware of things that I sometimes do automatically, including my emotional reactions. I'm going to slow...it...down.  I found this poem in the book The 4-Hour Workweek (by Timothy Ferris), written by a psychologist David Weatherford.  It describes my goal for this year.

SLOW DANCE

Have you ever watched kids

on a merry-go-round?

Or listened to the rain

Slapping on the ground?

Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight?

Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?

You better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Do you run through each day

on the fly?

When you ask: How are you?

Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done,

do you lie in your bed

With the next hundred chores

Running through your head?

You'd better slow down.

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

Ever told your child

We'll do it tomorrow?

And in your haste 

Not see his sorrow.

Ever lost touch,

Let a good friendship die

Cause you never had time

To call and say, "Hi"?

You'd better slow down

Don't dance so fast.

Time is short.

The music won't last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere

You miss half the fun of getting there.

When you worry and hurry through your day,

It is like an unopened gift thrown away.

Life is not a race.

Do take it slower.

Hear the music

Before the song's over.

PPAJJYM95SK4

SLOW DOWN, ... WHAT'S THE RUSH?

"Patience is a virtue." Our parents used to say that when we were kids. Trying to get us to slow down, not to need things so immediately. It seems like many of us didn't learn from that. In fact we've even abbreviated the phrase, now it's "chill out." We rush here. We rush there. Not only do people speed around in their cars, but also can't wait until they get home to make that phone call. Or even wait to write that letter they want to send, so they're texting while they drive (read my posting of 09/16/08, Don't Text While Driving). OMG! Slow down.




Our need for immediate gratification sometimes causes us problems. We rush through relationships. People are "falling in love" before they know each other for a few months, sometimes even before they meet thanks to the internet (for more on the need for patience in relationships, read my posting of 5/11/07, Make It Through The Night, To Make It To Better Days). And we've learned a lot about the health hazards of "fast" food, and those "crash" diets. The hurried life style also contributes to a lot of anxiety. We worry so much about what's going to happen in the future that we miss out on enjoying the present. So whenever you're feeling rushed, or worried about tomorrow, take a deep breath, and acknowledge your life in the here and now. Be mindful of the good things in your life now ( see Turn Off The Lights, from 7/10/08 for more on mindfulness). In fact, don't rush off right now to do the next thing you have planned. Take a few minutes to appreciate your life. Remember: Good things come to those who wait!

"TURN OFF THE LIGHTS"

I'm guessing that many of you remember your parent saying this to you as a child. "Turn off the lights." My mother would say this to my brothers and me, usually adding something about the cost of electricity. Well nowadays it pays to be more aware of the costs of many of the things that we take for granted. Actually, in this case it does actually "pay." In recent years I've come to be a lot better about this. Though my wife occasionally has to remind me. She's clever (and funny, sometimes). She'll say, when the light's left on in a particular room: "Who's in the bathroom?" Leaving it up to me to figure out the unsaid second half of the statement (first noticing that no one is actually in there), "Then why is the light on?" I get it. It's just one of those mindless habits of mine that lingers, and now has become much more costly. The answer, of course, is to become more aware of what we do and don't do, and the consequences. Be more mindful.

Mindfulness has far reaching relevance, if we apply it to our daily living. We have a lot of non-thinking behaviors that impact our lives short term and long term. Even things we do, that we decided long ago are not useful for us that we continue to do. Habits are hard to break. So you don't have to decide to change things all at once. That's often just too difficult. Am I right smokers? So don't keep doing things unconsciously. For example, if smoking is your obstacle, allow yourself to be more aware of when and why you're having that particular cigarette. Even if it's "because I want to." Make a conscious decision each time you have one. Don't let it just be automatic. Being more mindful will have a direct effect on cutting down. We all know the consequences of this habit, so reducing your use simply by being more aware will improve your health. Being mindful of turning off a light when you leave a room (or unplugging electrical appliances that are not being used) will save you money on your electrical bill. By the way, FPL is making a rate hike (for us Floridians).

So let's expand this mindfulness idea, and apply it to other areas of our lives. Relationships: Being aware of things that loved ones do (cooking meals, kids helping out, a coworker or subordinate that does their job well without whining), that you may take for granted, may now require some acknowledgement. Health: You can you be more aware of drinking water, managing stress (including time to relax, play, etc.), breathing more completely, exercise, even awareness of the emotional eating that we do. Personal Growth: Have you gotten too used to the depression or anxiety you sometimes struggle with? Do you remember to appreciate the good things in your life? I think you get the point, but here it is again. MINDFULNESS is better than mindlessness.