Day 357 - Chillaxing
Woke this morning to a bit of minor churning about mother but soon "shut the duck up" and reminded myself that this is a habit I need to break. Breakfasted on two granary toasts with marmite and a cup of fruit tea.
I've been reading a book on buddhist meditation and particularly the chapter on mindfulness. I'm am aware (especially after reading Awareness by Anthony de Mello recommended by Pete) that I often do things without giving them my full attention. That I very rarely live "in the moment" and I'm trying to address this as when I do I experience a feeling of extreme calm. Something that I need to embrace at the moment especially. So this morning we took a walk.
Not one of those walks where you're going at warp speed, calculating mileage and how long you've been out in order to get your 30 minutes in. But a walk that involved absorbing, watching and appreciating the surroundings. It wasn't a particularly beautiful morning but it wasn't raining. For some reason the birdsong was so LOUD - perhaps it's because i shut up long enough to hear it!? Also we saw EIGHT squirrels, feeding, scampering, hiding and even flirting with each other. We are sure we heard a wild boar, a gunshot, watched a little family puddle jumping in wellies and the escape of their rogue dog into a nearby field. The air was cold, sharp, damp and exhilerating.
We called at a boathouse cafe for a cappucino and were delighted to find a harpist in there. How wonderful the coffee tasted and the music sounded when you give it your full attention. We were gone for two and a half hours! Two and a half hours of blissful mindfulness...
Got home and made a glorious sunday lunch of homemade leek and celery soup (made yesterday) followed by roast beef(frozen last Sunday), brussel sprouts, carrots, Yorkshire pudding and gravy. Tasted better than anything that any pub or cafe could've pulled off and it was ready in no time.
Spent some time just resting after lunch with a Lavazzo coffee and a chocolate - it was so wonderful to just RELAX. Just enjoy doing nothing. If my mind wandered to negative thoughts I pulled it back - but it is getting less often now.
I really hope I'm breaking the habit.
This afternoon will be the R&T, more reading, probably no tea as still stuffed - if anything some fruit will do! Then it's into the bath, a lovely massage and then Salsa class with hubs before the boys come home. Tonight's Dancing on Ice to look forward to and looking forward to a blissfully relaxed night's sleep.
Tomorrow brings, gym, energised self, sweet red pepper soup and parmasan topped garlic ciabatta, workshop prep in the afternoon, 3 hours teaching fabulous children and then home for homemade chicken and mushroom pie and a snuggle with my boys.
I love my life! :-)
I love my life too !
Dolly
Glad you are having a sweet life! I am never in the moment. I'm usually flitting between the past (a waste of time) or the future (which I can't predict!)
So at the moment I'm absorbed in listening to the medolic slush of the tyres of the cars on wet tarmac, smelling the chicken roast and giving the blogs my attention (instead of doing it half-arsed whilst watching Biggest Loser!)
Sezza
more importantly I think it's good to see moving as something that calms the mind as well as the body and that is welcome at many paces. I love my morning runs in spring and summer - it's great to see nature up close and I get a good look around because I'm so slow!! seeing kingfishers, fighting hares and scaring a deer 6 foot away are all memorable moments last year ( lord knows how the deer didn't hear me coming)