Practicing what I preach…

Hi all! I am back in Jersey, back to 86 degree weather??! I left a beautiful morning of 45 degrees and had a great hike through the John Brown trails again.

I made the mistake of reading my emails before I left, though, and had received a very troubling email that left me with much to think about. And I was about to embark on my “mindfulness hike”. OOh, I was in deep trouble! I set out with Bolo and tried to concentrate on breathing in the cold, clear air. I took in the smells of fir trees, and my mind wandered back to the email I had just read. I concentrated on the leaves that were already turning to oranges and reds in some maples here, and I focused for a moment on my breath. Then I was thinking about that email again, and I was trying not to struggle with my thoughts, but to instead take in the beauty that was surrounding me.

An hour went by, and I was not totally winning the battle in my mind. Actually, I was trying to prevent it from becoming a battle, and doing what they teach you in meditation: just allow the thoughts to come in, notice them, and then let them move on.Then focus on the breath, and the present. I did just that for what seemed a long time, and I enjoyed the walk, but I couldn’t help but feeling a bit frustrated that my mind kept falling back to the patterns I was religiously trying to extinguish.

So there you have it. We are all  works in progress. Never forget that, and hopefully, the frustrating moments will be few for all of you. We just need to keep moving forward, if only for a baby step or a moment. We need to be aware of where we are at any given moment, and try to be right there, and only there for as long as we comfortably can. Live in the present, for it truly is all that we have.