I got up this morning, fed the cats, drank my water, checked and answered about 20 emails, did my gratitude list, got some stuff off my desk and into the right files and envelopes...etc. But I didn't pause once. Nor did I stand still and make time/space for the next thing.
And yet, I am giving myself a big dose of unconditional kindness for what I CAN do. Which is stop, right now, and spend 5 minutes to write this blog entry. Hopefully, this blogging is making me more aware of my intention to practice Standing Still. I did NOT do it at all, all day today, and the evidence of that was seen in a little bout of compulsive eating tonight after dinner. At least I wasn't eating high fat things. Just sugar and salt. But gluten and dairy free, hooray!
Actually, I don't even care if someone else ever reads this blog or not. I am thinking it will help me if I ever decide to write a book about this experiment. And mostly, that it will help me day by day as I try to remember my intention to Stand Still several times a day. Before the next thing.
The other day, I flashed upon a memory from a loooooong time ago. I was in my 30's. I was just learning about mindfulness and meditation and had read in a book about the idea of focusing on just one thing and following it, staying with it thru the breath and beyond.
So I was at the beach in Beverly, just sitting on the stone wall, feeling the calming presence of air and sea and sky. I decided to focus on a seagull. I just picked one of many, and followed it with my eyes while keeping still in my body. It was fascinating. The gull swooped down. It noodled along. It flew over to another spot on the beach. It landed in the water. It walked.
I think I did it for 5 or 6 full, slow minutes. It was so peaceful and stress-relieving. It's hard to explain. It's like, in those several minutes, nothing existed except for me and that bird. It's kindof like I WAS the bird! Time slowed way, way down. I was amazed at how slow and spacious even just one minute could be.
And I am sorry to report that I've never done anything like that since. Maybe it's time to start again, in my 50's, now that I am working with this idea of Standing Still.
And yet, I am giving myself a big dose of unconditional kindness for what I CAN do. Which is stop, right now, and spend 5 minutes to write this blog entry. Hopefully, this blogging is making me more aware of my intention to practice Standing Still. I did NOT do it at all, all day today, and the evidence of that was seen in a little bout of compulsive eating tonight after dinner. At least I wasn't eating high fat things. Just sugar and salt. But gluten and dairy free, hooray!
Actually, I don't even care if someone else ever reads this blog or not. I am thinking it will help me if I ever decide to write a book about this experiment. And mostly, that it will help me day by day as I try to remember my intention to Stand Still several times a day. Before the next thing.
The other day, I flashed upon a memory from a loooooong time ago. I was in my 30's. I was just learning about mindfulness and meditation and had read in a book about the idea of focusing on just one thing and following it, staying with it thru the breath and beyond.
So I was at the beach in Beverly, just sitting on the stone wall, feeling the calming presence of air and sea and sky. I decided to focus on a seagull. I just picked one of many, and followed it with my eyes while keeping still in my body. It was fascinating. The gull swooped down. It noodled along. It flew over to another spot on the beach. It landed in the water. It walked.
I think I did it for 5 or 6 full, slow minutes. It was so peaceful and stress-relieving. It's hard to explain. It's like, in those several minutes, nothing existed except for me and that bird. It's kindof like I WAS the bird! Time slowed way, way down. I was amazed at how slow and spacious even just one minute could be.
And I am sorry to report that I've never done anything like that since. Maybe it's time to start again, in my 50's, now that I am working with this idea of Standing Still.
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