I find that my life has always been full of strange but good coincidences. I have always been a person of action and I like to plan things. I make lots of to-do lists. Until recently, that has resulted in my mind focusing on many different things at any given moment. It is actually pretty stressful.
I think being back in the laid-back culture in Maine led me to want to reexamine that behavior. Through support and professional development funds from my office, I enrolled in a course at USM on Mindfulness-Based Stress-Reduction. Mindfulness is basically being physically, emotionally, and mentally in the present moment. Stress and sadness come from thinking about past moments and future moments; not "being" in the present. Mindfulness has its roots in Buddhism, whose philosophy I am finding increasingly relevant and comforting to me.
Mindfulness is really something that I NEED. I have found that I feel better in every regard when I practice mindfulness. I didn't know how important it would be for me until my Mom was diagnosed with metastatic cancer in May. Nothing hits the point of mindfulness home like a diagnosis of cancer. Thinking about what was the past (without metastatic cancer) is painful; thinking about what the future might bring is painful. Today, this moment, is the only thing we have and it is a precious gift. I want to enjoy the time that we have together right now.
I am still learning to be mindful; it is more difficult than it sounds. But I am already learning to slow down and be here, now and it feels so good.
