Ever notice when things are going good that a little thought will creep up and say “to good to be true something bad is going to happen”!  So what is up with that? We feel bad when we feel bad and we feel bad when we feel good. This is best described as the other shoe dropping syndrome-the fear of impending doom when things are good. Does this happen because we believe we do not deserve to have a good time or good things happening? Is it possible that we use our history that says something good is followed by something bad?  We really need to take a look at how we view events in our life, the judgments and assignment of things or events as being good or bad. The moments of our life are just that, not good, not bad they just are. If we can learn to accept things even the things we do not like, the ones that are hard to manage as what is, we will suffer less. Have you ever had an event that felt horrible at first only to later learn that it was really for the best? We can never understand the full picture of life or how things will play out. Life is always a sacred mystery. So if you can learn to tolerate the discomfort of not liking what happens in the moment, let it go and stay with what is you will suffer less. The other shoe dropping may be a delightful new style that you did not anticipate!

You have to let go-It is what we do in life, constantly. Remember it started with your thumb or pacifier and moves to letting go of your youth, your children, your job and possibly your partner. Letting go is how we move through life. It is bittersweet and usually involves pain. Sometimes we hold on with fingernails dug in not wanting or accepting that it will happen. It always happens, it goes, they go and things change. To ease the suffering of letting go we must find acceptance to what is, not approval but acceptance. Stop fighting and go with the flow, find humor in what must be. We feel the pain and move through with acceptance. The air clears and we settle and before long we are on to the next “it or they”.  And guess what? We are worried about letting that go!

How often has someone asked you this? Maybe you have asked your self this question?  This question usually follows actions that are out of character or not agreed with.  This kind of “out of your mind” is really about being in extreme mind, one that is overly emotional or overly rational.  One of my favorite mindful processes comes from the organization Heartmath.  It works by getting out of your mind or head and bringing your focus to your heart.  So you are out of your mind in a good way!  The mind is so busy and crowded with stories from the past and worries in the future.  Bringing the focus and appreciation to your heart opens you to a different wisdom, a quiet wisdom.  So just once today get out of your mind, yes get out of your mind and focus on your heart! Now just listen!

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The Morning Routine?

The morning routine can sometimes cause stress in the completion. After discussing with a friend that in order to finish the morning routine I really can not work because it takes until noon to finish! Think of it: exercise, shower, floss teeth, eat a healthy breakfast, meditate, walk the dog , which could be exercise except on weight training days, get things in order for the day, pack lunch, check e-mails and voice mails, check on children, check on parents, what about errands for the day, the list goes on and on. The one that usually goes for me is the meditation. I get lost in the thought if I can not sit for 30 minutes it will not count. I do not know who is counting but I think they would take five minutes if that is all I had.  So how can you stay healthy physically, emotionally and spiritually and still have time for family and work?  I think it has to do with being mindfully and choosing carefully where we put our attention. This can start in how we use our time and energy. The most important get finished and others spaced out in the day. On busy days meditation may only be 10 minutes and that is just fine. Maybe make a lunch the night before? The process of doing one thing at a time with attention can be a start. Then moving through the day mindfully present to this moment is the next step. The steps are not hard to do they are just hard to remember in all the busy work. What do you think?

The Zen dog

Mindfulness is easy to do and hard to remember to do. Our minds slip so quickly into the dramas and stories we keep running. We are often in the story before realizing it.  Animals especially dogs have a wonderful gift of mindfulness.  My dog can go on the same walk each day and be as excited as the first time he took it. I think he is very Zen in the way he walks and experiences the world. He is in the moment. I often walk the dog and practice walking meditation. Many times I slip into a story in my head or a very important worry. The dog will suddenly pull to one side waking me up and reminding me to be present to him and the walk! I bring my focus back to the walking meditation. It is helpful to create reminders to stay present all during the day. The reminder can be the ring of the phone, a train traveling by or a bell sounds something you find in your environment. Try to think of something today to help you remember to be mindful!

Finding balance. The body is amazing in its ability to stay balanced in movement. The wonder of walking, running and dancing are daily reminders of balance.  Remember being young and enjoying spinning around on a merry-go-round or just twirling then waiting for your body to right its balance? It would be some seconds usually with laughter and sometimes a weird stomach ach in the process. Soon things were in focus and you were ready to try again! Our emotional body is equally amazing. Emotions are amazing in their movements from sad, angry, and aggravated to joyous, happy and peaceful. Sometimes they are spinning with life challenges. Sometimes they feel as if they get stuck. Most time we do not wait some seconds with laughter or a weird stomach for the emotions to right themselves in balance. Many times we just keep spinning and keep them going in a whirl. Maybe if we would just stop, take a moment and just experience for some seconds they would pass and balance could be found. What do you think?