There are many days that I seem to get nothing done because I have so many things to do. I cross things off the Holy List of things to do…but the list is like that doll whose hair you cut and then just pull some more out! I want a space between the to-do’s on my to-do list and not have commitments pile up, one after another or at the same time. I am done with multi-tasking.
I feel like I am always running behind in the present and somehow leaning back away from what is coming in the future.
It makes me want to be on Facebook all day long.
There is a quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn (it’s a long quote, but please stick with it – my favorite part is the second paragraph) I have been re-reading a lot lately. It makes me feel better just reading it, honestly. It is one of those quotes that seems to open up some windows in my head, letting in some much needed fresh air and drawing out the old, stagnant air. I feel a little more space to breathe and think, which is usually what I want & need.
Okay, so here is the aforementioned quote by Jon Kabat-Zinn, from the book “Full Catastrophe Living”.
When we are mindful of our breathing, it helps us to calm the body and the mind. Then we are able to be aware of our thoughts and feelings with a greater degree of calmness and with a more discerning eye. We are able to see things more clearly and with a larger perspective all because we are a little more awake, a little more aware.
And with this feeling comes a feeling of having a little more room to move, of having more options, of being free to choose effective and appropriate responses in stressful situations rather than losing our equilibrium and sense of self as a result of feeling overwhelmed, thrown off balance by our own knee-jerk reactions.”
(it also reminds me of that great Dixie Chicks song Wide Open Spaces…I love that song.)
peace and fresh air on your head.
**Just a little post-it note reminder that the next Daily Bread Yoga retreat is Saturday, Oct. 27th, 9a.m.-noon, St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Urbana on Philo Rd. Let me know if you plan to come. I’ll be so happy to see you. This month’s focus is on finding balance.
