TOD: Mindfulness, Living with Purpose

The Topic of the Day is MINDFULNESS.

A Facebook friend posted about a book she’s reading that suggests doing small, everyday things with purpose. Our culture tends to celebrate the big, obvious accomplishments that are usually based in competition. Therefore, when we look at the “small stuff”, it may seem inconsequential or a bother, an annoyance or meaningless task to hurry up and be done with. But doing small things with purpose is a very good idea.

In Tantra and other yogic paths, this is called mindfulness, being present in the now and appreciating what is good and beautiful now. Not dwelling on the past or worried about the future. Or one can also observe an object, a person, or a situation without judgment.

Mindfulness does not have to be “meditation”, though it can be. Meditation is usually an active practice with a specific routine. Mindfulness can be applied to whatever you are doing right now, in the moment — watering the plants, eating an apple, walking along the beach. You simply pay more attention to what you are doing without letting the monkey mind jump around and without judging the immediate situation. It is what it is.

For example, I had to turn making dinner into a meditation, otherwise it was too much stress and frustration that was increasingly a literal and figurative chore. I had to remember that making dinner was an opportunity to make sure my daughter and I had nourishment, that the food itself would nourish my body and my brain so I can continue to do my work and create.

I changed my perspective, then changed my intention. This changed my approach. That made all the difference. Now, I love any chance to cook because it is “me-time”. Quiet time…. unless I feel like blasting a Broadway cast album or some Irish music and belting along…. or some disco…. or opera…. or an extended yoga mantra on YouTube. I changed so that the definition of the experience changed. I allowed the experience to be better and received a better experience for it.

Allow and receive mindfully. 🙂

trish

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