TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022, MINDFULNESS

 TUESDAY, JANUARY 18, 2022 MINDFULNESS

Let me first say, I am the wrong person to write on “Mindfulness”!!!  

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“Mindfulness means maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment, through a gentle, nurturing lens.

“Mindfulness also involves acceptance, meaning that we pay attention to our thoughts and feelings without judging them—without believing, for instance, that there’s a “right” or “wrong” way to think or feel in a given moment. When we practice mindfulness, our thoughts tune into what we’re sensing in the present moment rather than rehashing the past or imagining the future.”

From: Mindfulness Definition | What Is Mindfulness (berkeley.edu)

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I think I am the opposite of Mindfulness.  My brain seems to be working a week ahead of itself.  (I started this January 18th blog post a week ago on January 11th!!).  Aware of our surrounding environment? Not really.  I was thinking of this after doing my part-time job at the senior independent living facility.  I can’t remember the color of the rooms or the decor of most of the rooms.  

I realized part of this several years ago when an exercise was to have somebody burst into my classroom and do something outrageous (rob me, grab a book, do a cartwheel, yell something).  The person would be dressed in something different and be out of the classroom in about 30 seconds.  Then I would ask the students to describe the person, the actions, maybe do the “police sketch” of the individual, and remember what should have been an obvious remembrance.  

I also realized this even more years ago as I would be shopping with my wife and if I needed to find her - what did she look like?  What was she wearing?  What color of hair did she have? What color were her eyes? And, I realized that if it was a police line-up, I could pick her out in a second, but trying to describe her in words was almost beyond me.  Kind of an “I’ll know it when I see it” phenomenon.  Deep in my brain, I could describe her but not in words.  Could I be a witness at a crime scene?  (Not a very good one).

Can I be in the moment?  Amazingly, I can - but in a very limited fashion.

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One of the concepts of mindfulness seems to be meditation.  I have had some very deep meditations (“really in the Spirit”).  The apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 12, “ I will reluctantly tell about visions and revelations from the Lord. I was caught up to the third heaven fourteen years ago. Whether I was in my body or out of my body, I don’t know—only God knows. Yes, only God knows whether I was in my body or outside my body. But I do know that I was caught up to paradise and heard things so astounding that they cannot be expressed in words, things no human is allowed to tell.”

(No, I am NOT like Paul!!!  Not even the Paul K who reads these daily blogs!!! <grin>)

There is a viewpoint about people “who are so heavenly minded that they are no Earthly good” (I’m not there yet - not sure if I want to go that direction - or run away at full speed!!!)

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I do have a spiritual viewpoint in the Judeo-Christian tradition, and on rare occasions may be almost (but not really) sensing the “mystic” nature of life.  

Mindfulness frequently is accompanied by meditation.  Here (from the NIH - National Institute for Health) is a definition:

“Meditation is a mind and body practice that has a long history of use for increasing calmness and physical relaxation, improving psychological balance, coping with illness, and enhancing overall health and well-being. Mind and body practices focus on the interactions among the brain, mind, body, and behavior.

The same article suggests:

“Many studies have been conducted to look at how meditation may be helpful for a variety of conditions, such as high blood pressure, certain psychological disorders, and pain. A number of studies also have helped researchers learn how meditation might work and how it affects the brain.”

And

“Some research suggests that practicing meditation may reduce blood pressure, symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome, anxiety and depression, and insomnia. Evidence about its effectiveness for pain and as a smoking-cessation treatment is uncertain.”

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So - a tiny look at mindfulness from one who doesn’t seem close to the topic!!!

But, maybe as I grow older (and maybe) wiser, I can learn to be at peace within myself and with my God!!!

LOVE WINS!!!

Karen 

January 18, 2022