Resting in the Now.
In other words: when the bird sings, pay attention.
Greetings, Folks!
My mind usually resides in one of three locations: 1.) The Past. 2.) The Present. 3.) The Future.
During sentimental moments, it has a lot of fun watching mental movies of the good times I’ve experienced in my past: Mark, remember that 1987 sunset on Seven Mile Beach, when the frosty Red Stripe tasted so good and the hand holding yours felt so warm and everlasting?
During times of desire and longing, my mind has also been known to catch fire with all the material objects I could buy that I think might improve my life in the future (or help me “keep up with the Joneses”.): Dude! That 2026 forest-green Toyota 4Runner would make you look VERY outdoorsy and brawny (rates as low as 1.99% APR or no payments for 90 days).
Of course, our ad-fueled capitalistic society is especially good at keeping my mind glued in either the past or the future—by design—but that’s a topic for another post (i.e., the perils of the multi-trillion dollar amygdala-stoking industry).
My body, on the other hand, simply has no choice but to always reside in the present moment. But my mind is always the restless traveler (which is a poetic way to say that I struggle with chronic ADD issues).
Around 2015, though, it occurred to me that all the mind traveling had made me an unhappy man. Wanting things to be different than they were at any given moment caused a great deal of personal suffering and discontent. Which was exhausting.
Something had to change.
Fortunately, about that time, I discovered the Headspace meditation app. Since then, I’ve logged 52,524 minutes of “resting in the now” moments, usually in 20 minute segments, always first thing in the morning.
Over time, something remarkable happened: I was able to change my brain. By being more intentional about paying attention to “the now,” I was able to avoid unconscious slippage into the past or future where so many negative emotions and storylines can live (anxiety, regret, resentment, etc). Today, I feel calmer, less reactive, more forgiving and more tuned into the beautiful world all around me.
For example, this morning—thanks to my meditation training—I was able to verify that the mockingbird singing outside my front door does indeed have 200 different songs in its repertoire (including one that sounds like a car alarm).
Which makes me a very happy, contented man.
IN OTHER NEWS 😕:
Ugh. This falls into the category of “life is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.” My 444-mile Natchez Trace Parkway bike ride won’t happen this spring due to a bad shoulder. Fingers crossed that some combination of physical therapy and surgery will allow me to spin my wheels in the fall.
How are you? I’d really like to know. Just click on the “leave a comment” box below to activate the one-to-one magic of Internet communication. And, as always, I’m endlessly grateful for your readership and support!
Peace & Love,
Mark
Don’t shoulders suck? They are my most vexing body part, and thank god I don’t have to depend on them to hike, which is what I want to do most. In fact, after years of hiking with poles I discarded my poles last year because they were messing up my shoulders too much. Building a regular meditation practice is something I’ve always wanted to do … ah well, I’ve got a lot of life left, I guess I still can.
Living in the moment....hey, give us something easier to work on! You are on a true journey in many ways. I fight the temptation to "still" be living in Colorado....or to see myself there now. But I'm in Bartlett! Ha. At least I'm finally finally retiring in the next few months, hoping to get back to the novel I was trying to write while still writing about senior living. It's already feeling good to know the "water" is not far away...now my challenge will be to stay in each day, each hour, and really savor it. In other words, sit still on the patio when the birds are singing instead of thinking I need to clean out three closets the first day I'm not working. You're a good inspiration. Stay safe and keep exhaling deeply!