When I was a young woman working in a nursing home, one of the most disturbing things – worse than the feebleness of the residents, or the smell, or the fact that even a self-absorbed twenty-four year old couldn’t really ignore mortality in that environment – was how many folks told me that they didn’t know where their lives had gone. Read More
Mindfulness meditation practice uses time and space to cultivate connection. When we take the time to check in with our inner state, we learn something. Churning after the latest news report or tweet, we may be so caught up in reaction that we can’t discriminate what has actually happened from what we think and feel about it. Mindfulness, even if it’s just attending to a few breaths, can create the space that brings us a more nuanced perspective on events.
For most of us, the perpetual to-do list looms large and we have a strong inclination to jump right into whatever task is closest at hand; after all, then we’ll be able to check off yet another item. But as is the case with swimming against a strong current, sometimes forging straight toward your objective – checking things off the list – isn’t necessarily the best way to get things done.
Giving thanks for what pleases us is easy. But what about the other stuff? How do we appreciate mixed blessings, complicated things, or those that trigger our irritation?
Institute for Mindful Leadership Instructor Carol Hyman leads a guided meditation on appreciating everything.
