[February 9th] Observation Journal: Keep an observation journal. Write once a day – something you’ve observed in your mindfulness practice. Do it daily, digital or paper.
How fortuitous for me! The lovely Gwen Bell has made a suggestion for another blog writing series (although I can translate it to paper just as well). Look forward to an additional blog series, “Observation Journal.” This will mean on any given day, I could post up to three different posts: a gratitude post, a mindfulist post, and/ or an observation journal post.
I am grateful that bed time is fast approaching because today is a day that I would’ve preferred to have spent napping. I’m not necessarily feeling to well, and I’m also noticing my spellchecker isn’t working properly — very bad for when I’m prone to typographical errors. I’m grateful that I’ll soon be consuming a bad of macaroni and cheese, and I’m grateful that I’ll possibly even attempt from-scratch brownies (it should take 5 minutes max to throw some ingredients in a bowl — the oven can do the hard work). I’m extra grateful for the baked eggplant slices I have for sandwiches this week. All it took was a little slicing, breading, baking in the oven, and a nice storage container. I made some wheat rolls to eat them on, although I apparently still have a long way to go in terms of baking wheat bread. Luckily I don’t have to do anything when the bread is supposed to be rising — it’s not like I have to sit and babysit the dough as it rises. I’m grateful for episodes of Good Eats in which Alton Brown utilizes those magnificent sock puppets. That guy is absolutely hilarious.
I realize this is probably the most disjointed piece I’ve written in a while, but I took a weekend off of writing. Let’s say I was using the time to be more mindful, even if it didn’t quite work out that way. It’s the effort that counts, isn’t it?
I am grateful for moments of mental clarity.
I am grateful for good friends who give good advice.
I am grateful for this present moment.
I am grateful for Gwen Bell‘s blog challenge that brought me to this mindfulness journey.
I am grateful for knowledge.
I am grateful for love.
I am grateful for my “bubble buddy.” (Have I ever said how warm and fuzzy it feels to be considered bubble-worthy?)
I am grateful for all that I have.
I am grateful for the life experiences I’ve had.
I am grateful for those who’ve been there and share their wisdom on the subject.
I am grateful for people with agood sense of humor.
[February 5th] Knowledge: “All our knowledge has its origins in our perceptions.” – Leonardo da Vinci
I’ve actually been getting a cosmic lesson in perception it would seem. Personally, I’m noticing a very big need to be more mindful of my perception of specific people and the way in which they affect me. I recently noticed an old resentment begin to flare up due to an awkward situation. Needless to say, I found myself dwelling on the past, worrying about how certain situations could arise, and generally wasting my time on people and things that didn’t deserve even a single ounce of that energy. I stopped myself and though, why are you doing this to yourself, [so-and-so] is NOT worth this anxiety, nor is [this person] worth the physical ramifications of my resentment! I had a moment of mindfulness and did my best to shift my focus to more important things, trying to be more present in the moment instead of the past or the future. I remembered that my mind can and will negatively affect my physical well-being (I have a wonderful chiropractor to thank for that knowledge — resentment = sciatica). I worked through a lot of old resentment that I was still carrying around, and I’m trying to be more mindful in a quest to identify factors that cause feelings of resentment, stop them, and retrain myself to react in a more positive manner. It is my knowledge — my perception — of myself, the people around me, the things around me, and the situations and circumstances occurring that cause my mind to effect my body. (The lovely “cause and effect” premise we all grew to love in grammar school!)
I guess this is probably the message all these “signs” are trying to send me — stop, think, reflect, retrain.
1. I am grateful that specific awkward situations will be easier to deal with due to a mutual understanding.
2. I am grateful that they completed the floor tiles in the women’s room finally. The novelty of getting extra exercise by walking upstairs to go to the bathroom had worn off this morning.
3. I am grateful that it’s almost the weekend again (I’m lacking in the sleep department again, as usual).
4. I am grateful for a nice mug of green tea during lunch.
5. I am grateful for the seemingly quiet day I’ve enjoyed.
[February 4th] Do you meditate?: Do you meditate (or have a meditative practice of writing code, entering data or answering emails) during your work day? If yes, does mindfulness inform your practice?
I will sometimes meditate during my work day when there’s a moment of peace and quiet, particularly if it’s been hectic that day. If needed, I will actually use a bathroom break as a chance to escape from it all and have a few moments to focus on my breathing. I suppose I also have the meditative practice of listening to music during my commute. I have begun translating mindfulness into my practice of listening to music because I will sometimes sit there with my mind wandering and not even realize what song I just listened to. Sometimes I completely miss something new until a day or even a week after it’s changed, and I tend to feel silly when I discover that some drastic change I just noticed happened prior when I’d been past it several times in between.
My writing is also a form of meditation for me because it really takes on the form or me talking to myself — without the creepy “look at that weird person over there talking to herself” vibe. I highly recommend taking moments to just stop, focus on your breathing, and stop thinking so much about it.
[February 3rd] How to Bring More Mindfulness into Your Life: “Notice any tendency to ‘be hard on yourself,’ or to feel frustrated or a failure. See this kind of judgment as just another kind of thinking, and gently return awareness to the breath.”
As I read the article, I tried to follow along with paying attention to my breath, although I had a very strong urge to start controlling my breathing. I tried to relax more and noticed that I’m actually quite tired (it’s amazing how the mind can fool the body into functioning when the body is in fact worn out). I noticed I was thirsty. I paid attention to the water I drank — the way it felt on my tongue, how it affected my breathing pattern, the sensation of the water flowing down to my stomach. My mind wandered as it usually does whenever I try to meditate. A very good read, and a very good reminder to stop mindless munching, mindless wandering, and mindlessness in general.
I could have sworn I talked about our visiting professor who took me out to lunch back in September or October, but apparently I’m mistaken. Anyhow, we have a lovely visiting professor who hails from Ireland. She collarborates with several professors at UF, and she’s just so pleasant and friendly. She was in the states this week after having gone to a conference in Daytona, and she dropped by to invite me and my boss to lunch again. My boss couldn’t make it, but Professor Wonderful and I made arrangements to go for an early lunch to allow me time to go home and feed the baby in a timely manner.
Bivens Arm on the swamp side of the lake
So, I got to pick where we ate, and I picked Chop Stix Café — a delightful little Pan-Asian restaurant right off of Bivens Arm (a lake). I had never been there before and thought it was an excellent opportunity to try them out. They have a gorgeous view of the lakeside of Bivens Arm, where you see white ibis, ducks, alligators, hawks, and other such wildlife going about their daily business. I chose a bowl of udon (thick Japanese noodles). I absolutely adore pasta and noodles of all types, and I knew I would love udon. I was so right. The udon was prepared lo mein style with tender chunks of chicken, crisp slices of carrots, fresh zucchini chunks, strips of scallions, and slices of onions. It was everything my noodle-loving self had hoped for. To end the meal properly, I ordered a scoop of red bean (azuki) ice cream. I know what you’re thinking — BEAN ice cream?! Yes, in Japan and other asian countries they have different ideas of what constitutes dessert. I, however, have the knowledge that azuki are actually quite sweet. The ice cream? It was delectable! The presentation, the flavor, the color, the texture — everything about it was a foodie’s fantasy. I now wish I had a carton of the stuff. Next time I fully intend to try the green tea (matcha) ice cream.
Today I am so very grateful for good company, good food, and for good fortunes. Of course I still got a fortune cookie! Today’s piece of wisdom: “Minutes are worth more than money. Spend them wisely.”
[February 1st] Night Unplug: Do you unplug and power down your gadgets at night?
I try to power down most of my gadgets, and I went on an unplugging spree nearly a year back. However, I have become much more lax in conserving energy, and I’m not very proud to admit that. Unfortunately I tend to get distracted by myriad other things in life (read: three children keep a woman very, very busy) and simply forget to put vampire electronics in their place. Considering my recent electric bill, I’m very much considering making it a nightly ritual to go around the apartment unplugging unnecessary devices and equipment to ensure that we’re leaving a smaller carbon foot print and saving valuable money. We need to be more mindful of all the little things that add up in life.
[February 2nd] Last: If today were your last, what would you do right now? What would go straight to first place on your to do list? What would the quality of your attention be?
If today happened to be my last day, I would be hugging my bosses and co-workers good-bye and heading home to be with my family. I would be busy playing dress up with my daughter, taking pictures to preserve the moment for her. I would be cuddling with my precious baby boy, soaking in every bit of his infancy. I would be reading to my oldest son, reminding him that reading is very imporant while reassuring him that academics aren’t the only things that make a person special. I would be holding onto my husband and making sure he knows that everything will work out somehow, letting him know that I’ll be with them in spirit, and trying to find comfort in my last few moments. In the grand scheme of things, that’s what’s most important to me.
Happy Tuesday, everyone! You know what Tuesday means around the department — free lunch. Panera better start paying me compensation for all the advertisement I do (and all the patronism we do here at UF MSE, for that matter) because — you guessed it — we had Panera again this week. (I have encouraged my boss to order Moe’s for next week’s faculty meeting.) And just what lovely goodies do you think I enjoyed? If you guessed a bacon turkey bravo sandwich, some garden salad, a third of a chocolate duet cookie with walnuts, a bag of kettle-cooked chips, and a couple of pickles, then you’ve guessed correctly! Even better than having a free lunch is having leftover sandwichs to carry over into other lunches (or snacks, as is the case for this roast beef sandwich). I am so grateful for the delicious benefits each Tuesday brings.
