Archives for posts with tag: mindfulness matters
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »

A Monday Moment

September 16, 2024 //
0

It’s dark and I am waiting for the sun. I’m sitting at the trailhead, paused between meditation and writing, some time before my walk. It’s a Monday morning, probably a fairly routine one… But… And?

I’m feeling a bit “off”, somehow. Vaguely irritable, only… maybe not? I don’t know. I’m in a strange discontented headspace, with nothing much to complain about, and nothing going on that actually seems “wrong”. I’m not “unhappy”… neither am I “happy”. I sigh heavily. The weekend wasn’t particularly restful or productive. I enjoyed it in the company of my Traveling Partner, and that was pretty nice. I very much feel that I should be looking back on it with much more gratitude and enthusiasm, but… this strange discontented mood has a pretty firm hold on me. Something like the sensation of wanting something I simply can’t have, ever, and knowing it while only half accepting it, but also not taking any steps to change that. Weird mood.

Soon enough I’ll have to “put my work face on”, and wholly adopt a certain professional positivity, and get the day going. Fine. I will and it’ll work out. I’m just…here… now, in this very different place. No idea why. I feel almost as though laying down for awhile and just… weeping… might be a more authentic use of my time, but it seems like a fairly childish and ineffective approach to take.

…I wonder if my walk will help…

I breathe, exhale, and relax, waiting for the sun. I’m not yet in any particular amount of pain. This could be a very pleasant moment. It isn’t quite. Am I, perhaps, reacting to my Traveling Partner’s (understandable) feelings of depression and negativity, as he confronts and deals with his emotions regarding potential long-term consequences of his (more severe than we knew at the time) injury, or becoming fused with that experience instead of living my own? It’s possible. We spent the weekend closely together, enjoying (or sometimes not enjoying) each other’s company.

… Maybe I didn’t get enough rest? Or didn’t get enough done…?

Another sigh breaks the silence. The sky slowly lightens as daybreak approaches. I think to myself that perhaps I could sleep a bit later in the morning now that the days are shorter, but I know it’s a wasted thought; I wake when I wake. It happens to be quite early. I do my best to make good use of the time.

… I resent feeling so stupidly fussy and irritable without good cause…

I pause my writing and my thoughts when my alarm reminds me to take my morning meds. I do that while noting sourly to myself that as things are going, I’ll be unlikely to ever retire, becoming one of those older folks who works for a living until my grave opens up to receive the last of my frail remains. G’damn that’s fucking depressing. I’ve wanted to retire since I entered the fucking workforce. I take a deep breath and let it go, along with the thought. The future is not written. I breathe, exhale, relax, and bring myself back to this moment, which, although characterized by this almost comically bleak mood, isn’t really all that bad, otherwise.

Be here, now.

I work at resetting my mood. I fail, and I try again. I look for different perspectives. I take a moment to really “hear myself”. Limited success, and I keep trying. I know “the way out is through” and I know I will become what I practice. I keep practicing. Change is, and eventually this mood will pass. Eventually, I’ll understand what gadfly is biting my metaphysical ass and be more easily able to do something about it. Slow going, this morning, and my irritability vexes me.

The first hint of a new day.

Daybreak comes, and with it a chance to begin again. I frown pointlessly at the sky, missing old friends and somehow also missing solitude (in spite of being literally alone in this moment). I grab my cane and get my stupid human ass out of the car and on my feet. It’s time to begin again.

… Maybe I can just walk it off…?

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories Allegories, anhedonia, Anxiety, autumn, Brain Injury, breathe, Free Will, Frustration, health, loneliness, meditation, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, more than a little bit of bitching, Oregon Trails, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Practices, Relationships, solo hiking, The Art of Being, War and News of War

Practicing

September 11, 2024 //
0

There was a misty rain falling when I got to the trailhead before daybreak. I don’t mind that. It had rained rather heavily at several points during the night, too, and I didn’t mind that either. My sleep was restless and unsatisfying, and I didn’t get enough of it. The household seemed noisy until almost midnight. I struggled to return to sleep each time I woke. I feel fine this morning. Eager to get a walk in along the damp marsh-side trail. It’s a short drive to the office from this nature park, and that’s where I’ll be working today. In general, the day is off to a good start, though seeing it through that lens is largely a matter of practice over time. (It wasn’t all that long ago that a restless night followed by a drizzly morning would likely have found me exceedingly irritated with life and wholly unpleasant to be around.)

…I keep practicing…

A rainy dawn, a new day.

Daybreak comes and I swap my shoes for boots, and grab my cane. I finish off my iced coffee and double check that I have my water bottle ready. I breathe the rain-fresh air and sigh contentedly, stretching before I head down the trail.

Practices come in all sizes. Changing the things I practice in life has done a lot to change my quality of life, my thinking, and my perspective. I’m more resilient. I am calmer. I bounce back from stress more easily and more quickly. I still have challenges. I still have to deal with my own bullshit and baggage. I’m very human. Trauma has changed me over the course of a lifetime and there’s no knowing who I might have been without it. There’s no “going back” – but it hardly matters when I remember that all my choices are ahead of me when I am present in this moment, awake, aware, and ready to begin again any time I fail myself or fall short of living my values. Failures are part of life.

I smile at the cloudy gray sky thinking about how best to capture those hues in pastel. This is a worthy moment to be here, now, and I embrace it. I breathe, exhale, relax, and begin again.

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories Allegories, anger, Anxiety, art and the artist, Brain Injury, breathe, forgiveness, Free Will, gratitude, Healthy Living, inspiration, meditation, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, Oregon Trails, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Practices, Sleepless Nights, solo hiking, Summer, The Art of Being

The Day Something Changes

August 12, 2024 //
0

I’m (finally) sipping coffee. Never had a walk this morning. Woke up in pain, though that’s neither different nor relevant to the moment, or this cup of coffee. It’s fairly late in the morning, so I’m having it with a little (coconut) milk and a bit of sweetness (vanilla syrup). It’s hot. It’s… coffee. It’s fine. Today is “the day”, and my Traveling Partner is in surgery. I’m in the waiting room… waiting. The Anxious Adventurer waits with me. We’re neither of us particularly stressed, both hopeful.

… It’ll be good to “have my partner back”, in the sense that the pain he has had to endure over time has been much for all of us. Worst for him, obviously, but terrible to helplessly witness, and hard on his relationships, generally. Hard on him, too. It has diminished and limited him, and shrunk his world to the size of his pain. I’m eager to see him once again doing the things he loves with ease. I’m eager to hear him laugh again and feel his strong arms around me.

…So I wait. I breathe, exhale, and relax. I drink coffee and remind myself to take my medication. I give some small amount of thought to my vertigo, which has begun flaring up more frequently, in response to less obvious things. I think about the occipital neuralgia that “lights my face on fire” for hours or days. I think about the shooting pain down the back of my right leg this morning that wasn’t there yesterday. Shit. I guess I need to start putting more attention on this fragile vessel. I don’t “feel old”… I resent these possibly aging related complaints, often with real ferocity. I use my resentment and my anger to push past the pain, to reject its power over me. I use my feelings to walk one more mile, and then to walk another. I’ve come too far to give up easily.

… This hospital has a pleasant waiting room (except for the uncomfortable chairs)…

I sit with my thoughts. I breathe. I shift in my chair trying to find more comfort before realizing again that the pain is mine, it’s not the chair. I write. I reflect. I wait. I’m good at waiting.

The Anxious Adventurer goes on a wee walkabout, exploring the carefully planned curated spaces of the hospital to pass the time. I’m fine with just waiting, not because I lack restless energy or curiosity, I just want to wait, patient and present, my thoughts with my partner. It’s certainly a place worth exploring, though. I enjoy the quiet and the hushed conversations, and the art.

… It’s a shame there’s so little public art…

Cloudy day. Waiting. It’s fine; soon enough we begin again.

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories Allegories, breathe, Free Will, gratitude, health, Healthy Living, Love, meditation, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, pain, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Practices, Relationships, Summer, The Art of Being

Expectations, Assumptions, and Boundaries

August 4, 2024 //
0

It’s early, still. I’m at the trailhead and ready to walk a couple more miles in these boots. Soon. I jot down some notes, details of my thoughts as I made the drive to this place. Notes to guide a conversation with the Anxious Adventurer a bit later today. Problematic assumptions may have been made, and these require clarification, and a clear resetting of expectations. Boundaries need to be clearly pointed out, and reinforced. Household rules and day-to-day “standard operating procedures” need to be clarified. We’re all in this together, but it’s frankly not a democracy (at all), and it’s important we all have a shared understanding of some basic details regarding housekeeping, basic manners, and the practical requirements that everyone “hold up their end” without nagging or dropping a fuck-ton of additional emotional labor on me (or on my Traveling Partner). So… I make some notes. I know what I’d like to communicate. I know I want to maintain a comfortable, considerate tone, and that I have a further obligation to myself to avoid undermining (or renegotiating) my firm boundaries.

I sigh quietly to myself. I catch a frown as it develops, when I wonder “how the hell did I get here?” – I’m childless by choice. I for sure did not anticipate being in a position of having to provide “parenting” to what appears to be a grown ass adult. Another sigh, and I hit the trail with my thoughts.

A new day, a new opportunity to begin again.

The morning air is still and warm, hinting at a hot day ahead. It’s so quiet, the sound of my footsteps and my tinnitus are the loudest sounds I hear. There’s a police siren in the distance. Sounds of traffic on the highway along the edge of this protected nature preserve. No breeze. Somewhat humid. The feel of the air seems “heavy”, and I am reminded of summer mornings growing up in Maryland. I get to my halfway point before the sunrise and sit down on the convenient bench to meditate, reflect, and write, as I watch the sun rise.

I breathe, exhale, and relax. It’s a pleasant quiet morning. I savor the moment. There’s no reason to rush this; the moment is mine to enjoy.

I had an exceptional and excellent day with my Traveling Partner, yesterday. With his pain more skillfully managed (finally), and less chaos and stress generally, we comfortably relaxed in each other’s good company, talking and connecting, sharing, and really enjoying each other. It was a wonderful day enjoying the companionship of my best friend and lover, my Traveling Partner on life’s journey. We laughed and talked deeply and intimately. We shared the serious and the lighthearted. It was a great day, well-spent.

… Maybe today will be another like yesterday…

… Maybe it won’t be…

… What will I do with the opportunities ahead of me? What choices will I make? There are so many opportunities, so many choices. So much of my experience is within my own control…

I watch the lowland mist drift over the marsh as the sun rises into a shell-pink sky. I listen to birdsong. Beautiful morning. Beautiful moment. I sit smiling, feeling grateful for this sunrise (and so many others). I think about how far I’ve come as a person, and how much my Traveling Partner and I have grown, together. I think about the lessons I’ve learned over time, and what matters most (to me). I reflect on how best to communicate these ideas in words, and ponder what to share and what to keep for myself.

Self-reflection is a critical practice, for me. It comes with an interesting complication in the subtle distinction between reflection and rumination. Self-reflection is deeply informative and can guide my decision-making in a healthy way. I learn a lot through observation and self-reflection. Rumination, on the other hand, generally provides me with nothing productive, serving to reinforce thinking errors and “doom spirals”, and retraumatize myself with “ancient pain”, and internalized bullshit. Rumination masquerades as self-reflection, but doesn’t “do the work”, and doesn’t get me anywhere. I sit with that a while, and consider how best to communicate the distinction to someone struggling to find their own way.

Another critical practice for me is practicing a positive outlook, generally. I don’t mean faking positivity – that can quickly become toxic, in spite of the positive veneer. I mean to say I practice being authentically positive as much as I am able, and seek to minimize any tendency to bitch and complain “recreationally”, or for an effect, or for humor. Negativity is unpleasant, contagious, and corrosive in most social interactions. Time spent bitching about a challenge could be better spent on problem solving and action. I’m not a fan of forced smiles or inauthentic cheerfulness. I also don’t think the choices are “either/or”. I do my best to be positive, sincerely, and to be grateful, and aware that things could generally be far worse. It does take actual practice sometimes, although continued practice over time has truly changed my thinking and improved my overall outlook on life. Worth the effort.

The sunrise as a metaphor for incremental change over time.

I practice. I change. I begin again. It’s a journey, and the journey is the destination.

Choose your steps wisely. Select your practices with care. Keep practicing. Fail, and reflect, and learn, and begin again. Repeat as needed. We become what we practice. Who do you most want to be? What are you practicing? Will your current practices reliably get you to your goals? What needs to change – your practices, or your goals?

Seeking illumination in a sunrise.

I sit a while with my thoughts. Pleasant morning for it. Soon enough it’ll be time to head back up the trail and return home to enjoy the day with my partner. Soon enough it will be time to begin again.

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories Allegories, anger, Anxiety, breathe, forgiveness, Free Will, gratitude, health, Healthy Living, meditation, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, Oregon Trails, Perspective, Post Traumatic Stress, Practices, Relationships, solo hiking, Summer, The Art of Being, The Big 5

Cool Breeze, Hot Coffee

July 30, 2024 //
0

I’m sipping my morning coffee contentedly. It’s instant. I don’t care much about that – it’s fine. It’s even fairly good. There’s a sea breeze blowing through the open patio door. The breeze carries the scent of the sea from beyond the bay, and the sounds of sea birds beginning their day. It’s quite early, but past daybreak. A sunrise that I won’t see is imminent, and the skies are cloudy and hinting at more rain. From the desk in my hotel room, I can see gulls walking over the sand of the beach. The tide is out, and Siletz Bay has emptied and become a vast muddy flat, speckled with various seabirds: gulls, herons, and other birds I can’t name.

Morning on Siletz Bay at low tide.

I woke gently after a long-seeming night of decently good quality rest. I woke several times for no obvious reason, but it is a hotel, and it is rather noisy here even during the wee hours. Still, I got ample rest and woke feeling merry and definitely ready for coffee. Without hesitation, I dressed and made my way out and down to the beach for a walk in the cool morning breeze along the edge of the beach before returning to the room and making this very satisfying cup of coffee.

I opened the balcony door wide, to let in the sea breeze and the sound of the ocean. I can’t see it from this “ocean view” room on the first floor, but I can hear it. I’m not complaining, and I’m not dissatisfied, just saying – there’s no actual view of the ocean from this room. The bay is plenty entertaining and visually beautiful (the changing tides see to that). I gaze out through the open balcony door across the bay. Am I hearing thunder? I start feeling a bit chilled, in spite of this cup of hot coffee, so I put on my favorite baggy sweater for warmth, rather than close the door. I sip my coffee.

It’s been a good trip for creative work. I’m very satisfied so far with my progress, as I’ve switched to pastels and now need to learn this new medium. I’m enjoying the studious work of learning something new. I’m focused on landscapes for the most part, and it’s these that drew me to pastels – specifically sunrises and sunsets. There’s no further “why” to any of that, it’s simply the source of my current inspiration. I see a lot of sunrises.

New medium, new work.

It’s been a wholly satisfying break, and I definitely needed the downtime. Today, too, is mine. Mine for reflection, mine for walking, mine for reading, napping, wondering, and wandering. Mine for artistic study and for painting, or even for simply “playing with the colors”. Today begins with more rest, less stress, and hopefully ends with still more rest, and more resilience. The goal is to return home tomorrow ready to see my Traveling Partner through his recovery from his upcoming surgery without feeling exhausted, burdened, or so stressed that I just … can’t. It’s an endurance race, not a sprint – and this much needed pause along the way is intended to keep me in the race, all the way to the finish line, probably some time close to the winter holidays. (Realistically, although his initial recovery from the surgery itself may be pretty quick, I expect it may take some weeks or months for my Traveling Partner to get back to 100%, and I’d like to be quite useful and helpful and available for anything he may need to get there, over that time.)

I breathe, exhale, and relax. The sea breeze fills my lungs, and freshens the room. As the unseen sunrise progresses, I see the palette of the morning beach scene beyond the window change. There are now more shades of sandy beiges, and hints of bright green where strands of seaweed have been left behind by the receding tide. The darker browns of large pieces of driftwood, and the dark grays of the rocks that dot the beach along the bay stand out against the sand. The water is a chilly pale gray, with a hint of blue, and the sky above is quite the same, with a fluffier quality. To the west, a heavy foggy mist clings to the mountainside, obscuring the view. What sort of day will it be, I wonder?

…Where does this path lead?..

It’s too early yet to paint. The natural light coming in through the patio door isn’t yet enough. The interior lights of the room “aren’t the right color”. I laugh at my preferences regarding such things. I know me; if I were truly moved to paint something, with a specific idea in mind, the lighting as it is would not be sufficient to stop me. It’s just not my moment, artistically. I’m happy to sit, write, and drink coffee awhile longer. I think about making breakfast. I think about… beginning again. It’s a lovely day for it.

I breathe. Exhale. Relax. This moment, just as it is, is quite enough. I smile to myself and sip my coffee.

Tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Categories Allegories, Art, art and the artist, breathe, Free Will, gratitude, health, Healthy Living, inspiration, meditation, Metaphors, Mindfulness, Moments, Oregon Trails, Perspective, Practices, Relationships, solo hiking, Summer, The Art of Being
« Older Entries
Newer Entries »