We are all so busy with life: our work, family, and hobbies. My job is very noisy. I’m a teacher in an elementary/middle school and the hallways are filled with children yelling and laughing from very early morning until late afternoon. My students and I have lively discussions and then there are meetings after school. My fellow teacher (and friend!) and I are also sponsoring the school talent show – another boisterous endeavor.
When I get home, my husband and I discuss our day, my kids practice violin and tell us about their day. It’s all good, but…it’s challenging – to say the least – to get some quiet time. And I LOVE, love, love quiet time.
In addition to walking my dog after work and walking in middle of the day, I have started mini-meditations. In mini-meditation, I focus on my breathing. This might last 60 seconds or three minutes. I also meditate for 8 minutes in the morning right after waking.
Eckhart Tolle suggests the mini-meditations throughout the day in order to incorporate it as part of your “real” life and not as a compartmentalized portion of one’s life.
It makes sense.
I’ve noticed that since I’ve started this practice of incorporating space into my day, I am experiencing spontanenous moments of peace within chaos. Where I used to feel anxious or stressed, I feel calm and centered.
Last summer, I donated 8 boxes of books in the pursuit of simplification.
I’m already thinking of buying a few books again.
When I worked at a startup company years ago and things got stressful, my supervisor would wail, “We’re just set up to fail!” She cried real tears once, when it looked like we were going to miss delivering our McDonald’s Kids’ Meal prize on time.
The deadlines were tight and stringent. “We’re set up to fail!”
There was a bug in the system. “We’re set up to fail!”
The art department misunderstood the engineering department. “We’re set up to fail!”
In actuality, she meant, “I’m afraid we’re going to fail!”
In the end, the entire startup did fail. But our department never did, we simply met our goals with a lot of stress. The constant cry of the “sky is falling” unnerved the team. Projects that could have been accomplished with fun and enjoyment were, instead, completed in solemn urgency.
Isn’t this what many people do at work and life? Aren’t a lot of people motivated by fear? Fear of failure, fear of losing money, fear of losing face.
People can be motivated by fun and awe and still get it done.
The Holocaust, by witness accounts (and primary source documents) was the most horrific act on humans by humans during the bloodiest, deadliest, most costly war in all of history.
As we observe this day, I invite you to make a difference: Show kindness all day. Substitute a kind gesture for all the moments you would normally express impatience or intolerance. Just try it for several hours or, better yet, the entire day.
Don’t honk your horn.
Don’t complain.
Don’t raise your voice.
Instead…
Help someone load their car with their groceries.
Hold the door open for others.
Pay for the coffee of the person behind you in the drive thru.
Smile at every person you encounter.
Speak up for the weak and oppressed.
Negative thoughts are pollution. Detoxing will benefit the people around you. Practicing love could become permanent!
I was getting uptight again. My husband cut his hair in the bathroom and left little bits of hair everywhere. Little bits of hair lined the tub, the counter top and some hairs made it into my contact lens case.
My frustration felt old and tired. I wanted a change.
The present moment. I’m in the present moment! I am here. But it’s not just being here that’s important. It’s enjoying the present. I decided to like what I see… the hairs belong to my husband. He left a mess. So what?
Life is a series of problems and messes. Living successfully means handling them mindfully. Getting upset over the same thing repeatedly is a waste of time. If you can’t change it, you can accept it and choose to see it differently.
I’ve published it.
On Amazon.com and a few other outlets, you can now purchase Esther, Mia and the Stars! It will say “Spanish version” but it’s in both English and Spanish, every page.
Esther and Mia are best friends. Esther must come up with a creative solution when she discovers that Mia is being bullied. Together, they overcome this painful event and tell their story in English and Spanish.
It’s imperfect, but it was a labor of love, illustrated by my daughters with a message of empowerment for children who are experiencing bullying.
Thank you to my blogging community! You provided much-needed support and encouragement along the way.
Ahhhh! Love!
Love can be destroyed by jealousy.
This is a mugshot of a man who was convicted for domestic abuse. You might say the signs were obvious from the beginning. But aren’t they always there in the beginning… the temper, the irrational questioning, the possessive demeanor?
In the past week, several women in my life have told me their stories. It seemed like a sign to share it on my blog.
It starts with a whirlwind affair: the romance and attention. His questions and constant hovering are flattering. He really loves me!
I know far too many women who have dated and/or married such men. These women are smart, loving, and highly educated. It goes both ways, women do this to men, too.
Why do the perpetrators do this? Because (in most cases), they lack self-esteem. No one can give them self-esteem, which means that it’s not going to get better until they work on their self-confidence.
But the suspicious questions and constant angry surveillance take a toll: paranoia, insecurity, resentment and finally, anger.
My friend and fellow chaperone was walking with me at the Smithsonian’s Natural History Museum in Washington D.C. We were in the aquatic section. He laughed, pointed at a fossil and said, “I think I’ve seen this in Star Wars.”
I laughed and realized that creators are most likely inspired and influenced by the strangest things!
“And this too!” He laughed. I could see exactly what he meant.
I imagined the designers and creators researching and studying ancient, strange creatures from millions of years ago. Maybe? Maybe not. But they were clearly inspired by the strange.
If you’re looking for inspiration, visit a musuem or an art gallery. Relax and enjoy yourself. Creativity is sure to reveal itself when you least expect it.
Kismet 