mindfulness

Step Into The Sea

04/21/2017 by John Leave a Comment

The first moment of stepping into the cool, dark water before the sun has crested the eastern horizon is uncomfortable. My body recoils from the chill of the water. I respond by lunging forward and submerging completely, the shock quickly turning into calm. Within seconds there is a smile on my face and I lay back and let the water take my weight, levitating me between the vastness of the ocean below and the sky above.

Getting into the ocean as part of my morning runs has become a part of my near daily routine here on Marco Island. It started on a morning back in early March when I realized that any day of my life when I was near the ocean, I should take the opportunity to bath in it. Though I have not been perfect in following through with this idea, more days than not find me submerging myself in the Gulf of Mexico before the sun has set.

Why do I do this? One reason is because I can, and while my body still has the physical ability to do things, I want to use it. But on a deeper level, there is something sacred in the act of returning to the place where life on this planet began. It helps me to remember who and what I am.

Many mornings while on my run I try to convince myself that today is not a good day to get into the water. Usually, my reasoning includes something to do with not having enough time, or that it is a bit too chilly out. But below all these excuses is the fact that I do not want to be uncomfortable. The chill of the water, the inevitable sand in my socks, and the feel of running the rest of the way home in wet clothes all bring varying levels of unpleasantness. Though I know I will benefit from the results of my action, committing to the discomfort of it is difficult every time.

I usually overcome the voice within me that wants to avoid being uncomfortable. I remind myself that almost everything worth doing in life involves discomfort at some point. I find a quiet place on the beach, take off my shirt and my running shoes, and get into the ocean. I have not once regretted it. I only regret the days I do not step into the sea.

A Blank Canvas

04/07/2017 by John 1 Comment

My work for the winter season is done. I am not scheduled for any more paid employment until late July. The blank canvas of the next few months is stretched out before me. The empty space is exciting, but also intimidating.

The life that I am currently living allows me to have large blocks of unscheduled time sandwiched between intense periods of work. When I am in the midst of working, I long for these periods, thinking about all the things I hope to do and accomplish while I am gainfully unemployed. But once my mini-retirements begin, I often find myself paralyzed by the amount of freedom I suddenly have inherited. My choices about what to do with my time seem limitless to the point of being overwhelming. The blank canvas stares back at me, demanding that I do something with it.

I have been employed in situations where I worried that I was wasting my time by being there. But what I have learned is that I can just as easily feel this way while on my sabbaticals. I have a need to find purpose and meaning in my day, and this can be difficult both within and outside of the work that I do.

So what will I do with this blank canvas? Will I paint a picture I can be proud of, or will I look back at it and see only a bunch of random, disconnected splotches of color? Will I do something that will provide me with a sense of purpose, or will I simply flitter away the time doing things that will leave no lasting impression on myself or anyone else? It is up to me to decide.

I hope I choose wisely.

Saying No

03/31/2017 by John Leave a Comment

Knowing what you want out of life, and who you want in it, means nothing if you can’t also say no to everything but those people and things. Until you cultivate the ability to say no to the things that fill your life but not your soul, you’ll never have the space to bring into it the things you desperately want to say yes to.
From How To Live a Good Life by Jonathan Fields

Many of us were brought up to say yes, accommodating others needs before attending to our own. We have extended this invitation to the vast influx of information that is now available to us so that we are always saying yes to someone else’s agenda whether we realize it or not. Meanwhile, the things that are important to us get pushed to the side to be done at a vague time we call “later”. But later never arrives until we start to say no today.

There are so many demands on our time and attention. Hours disappear saying yes to reading just one more news article, responding to another email, or to just kicking back to watch a few short videos on YouTube. The people in our life also give us plenty of reasons to say yes. Yes to another pointless meeting at work. Yes to going out and socializing. Yes to listening to a friend go on for the umpteenth time about how they hate their job, relationship, whatever.

But what if we started to say no more often? What if we decided to delete the news apps from our phones and pledge to check email only once a day? What if we demonstrated to our employer that we could be more productive if that meeting is eliminated from our schedule? And what if we compassionately told our friend that we would be happy to help them work through something they are struggling with, but that we do not have time to listen if all they want to do is blame and complain and not take any action?

Saying no is actually saying yes to other things.
Patrick Rhone

If we did these things, we could say yes to those things we think we never have time for. We could get outside more or work on that passion project. We could spend time with people who inspire us or who truly need and want our help. We could do the things that give us joy and provide a sense of meaning and purpose; the things that make us feel whole, and from this place of wholeness, we can become more capable of serving others.

What are you saying yes to? Is it to things and people that are adding value to your life? What could you be doing if you said no instead?