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Free your mind and the rest will follow
Feb. 5th, 2014 10:36 amThis was one of those weeks where things I am reading from all over the Internet and off of friends feeds along with the magazines that we get and new books that have crossed my path along with things I hear on NPR and the like.
One of the things off of NPR is that raising children is a joy but it is not necessarily fun. The book is entitled All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. I have to agree for me parenting has been a joy and there has been fun at times but raising a kid is a full time job onto top of whatever else is going on. I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. Raising children has brought out the best in me both being a parent and a step-parent. The fun is fun but the joy gets me through the bad times.
In Time magazine this week (February 3, 2014) the cover says “The Mindful Revolution: The science of finding focus in a stressed out, multitasking culture”. The article is about Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. We have taught ourselves how to multitask and use to take pride in it but now we find that multitasking has its own limitations and downsides so in our information overloaded world, we are relearning how to think/do things one at a time. It may not solve all one’s ills but at least it gives words to them and feelings. I have been meditating off and on in my life for a long time. I know I feel better over all after being mindful for a period of time. My focus has more focus. Finding the time can be the tricky part and I need to work more on that.
There was another article that I have lost from the Internet about aging and brains and how as we got older the brain becomes a use it or lose it situation. You need to think and challenge your brain to keep it in healthy shape. I had read other articles that have skirted on the issue but this one took it head on. It recommended focus exercises to help the brain continue to process and fire all those lovely neurons. I can tell where my brain is at based on whether I am able to do Sudoku quickly or if I cannot see the pattern. If I can pick up the patterns quickly I know my brain is “awake” if I can’t then I have a tired brain and need to be more careful about what I say and do.
I do try to be mindful when I am working on certain tasks. It is easier with some tasks then others. I call it getting into the groove. I have found that if I can be mindful (pay attention) to tasks I don’t care doing, I either find something within it that makes it worth doing or the task seems to take less time if I focus on only it.
I try to give Caroline my undivided attention when she wants to talk to me about an issue that is bothering her. I make sure she knows that she has been heard and listened to about whatever it is.
Does my mind wander? Boy howdy does it. Trying to get it to focus can sometime be harder than herding cats. Over the years I have learned how to quiet it and focus it on the task at hand. It hasn’t been easy but I can do it.
I am grateful for the quiet focused moments in my mind.
One of the things off of NPR is that raising children is a joy but it is not necessarily fun. The book is entitled All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood. I have to agree for me parenting has been a joy and there has been fun at times but raising a kid is a full time job onto top of whatever else is going on. I wouldn’t trade my experience for anything. Raising children has brought out the best in me both being a parent and a step-parent. The fun is fun but the joy gets me through the bad times.
In Time magazine this week (February 3, 2014) the cover says “The Mindful Revolution: The science of finding focus in a stressed out, multitasking culture”. The article is about Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction. We have taught ourselves how to multitask and use to take pride in it but now we find that multitasking has its own limitations and downsides so in our information overloaded world, we are relearning how to think/do things one at a time. It may not solve all one’s ills but at least it gives words to them and feelings. I have been meditating off and on in my life for a long time. I know I feel better over all after being mindful for a period of time. My focus has more focus. Finding the time can be the tricky part and I need to work more on that.
There was another article that I have lost from the Internet about aging and brains and how as we got older the brain becomes a use it or lose it situation. You need to think and challenge your brain to keep it in healthy shape. I had read other articles that have skirted on the issue but this one took it head on. It recommended focus exercises to help the brain continue to process and fire all those lovely neurons. I can tell where my brain is at based on whether I am able to do Sudoku quickly or if I cannot see the pattern. If I can pick up the patterns quickly I know my brain is “awake” if I can’t then I have a tired brain and need to be more careful about what I say and do.
I do try to be mindful when I am working on certain tasks. It is easier with some tasks then others. I call it getting into the groove. I have found that if I can be mindful (pay attention) to tasks I don’t care doing, I either find something within it that makes it worth doing or the task seems to take less time if I focus on only it.
I try to give Caroline my undivided attention when she wants to talk to me about an issue that is bothering her. I make sure she knows that she has been heard and listened to about whatever it is.
Does my mind wander? Boy howdy does it. Trying to get it to focus can sometime be harder than herding cats. Over the years I have learned how to quiet it and focus it on the task at hand. It hasn’t been easy but I can do it.
I am grateful for the quiet focused moments in my mind.
