Sunday, June 30, 2013

Be Present, Be Kind to Yourself

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”
― Maya Angelou


A couple of days ago, as I enjoyed that strange half-awake meditative state of "shavasana" in yoga class, I thought about the "soundtrack" of my life.  I am not sure if it was the sounds of little girls enjoying a ballet class in the other room or something else ...  But whatever triggered it, I thought, days come and go, years pass ... and I have worried about so many things.  And it occurred to me:  What do I want the soundtrack of my life to be?  Do I want it to be filled with static -- angst, pettiness, ruminations of grudges, gossip, negative thoughts?  Or do I want the soundtrack to reflect the intentional enjoyment of my life -- children's laughter, songs I enjoy, pleasant conversations, the sounds of the ocean, birds chirping?  We only have so much bandwidth.  How do I want to use mine?

As I left the yoga class, I lowered my car window and listened to the sounds of the birds that were there for me to hear.  I also saw a bright yellow butterfly fluttering dance-like along the trees by the side of the road.  And I thought, I want the flitting butterfly to be part of my life.  I want to see the butterfly more.  I can easily fill my mind with worries of so many things, some real, some possible, some imagined ...  Or I can fill my thoughts, my heart and my life with the enjoyment of abundant blessings.

About a month ago, I heard a Jason Mraz song, Living in the Moment, that has profoundly impacted me.   Part of it goes like this:

I will not waste my days
Making up all kinds of ways
To worry about all the things
That will not happen to me

So I just let go of what I know I don't know
And I know I only do this by
Living in the moment
Living my life
Easy and breezy
With peace in my mind
I got peace in my heart
Got peace in my soul
Wherever I'm going,
I'm already home
I'm living in the moment

I want to live "easy and breezy."  I am trying to be kind to me.

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