Today I am
living my dream life. It might appear to be an ordinary day on the outside that
started off in the same way as every other work day. But on the inside, I am
feeling that this IS my dream life.
This
morning, as I sat in my favourite sitting room at home with my work laptop
positioned on the couch beside me and a hot cup of tea cradled in my hands I
felt inspired to write about it, to capture the moment(s) and have something to
remind me of this dream life I am already living. To be reminded that it’s not
unattainable, or something for another day, or for when I’ve finished this or
that, or when the sun is shining. As I sat there with my cup of tea warming my
cold fingers I gazed out at the rain gently falling on this chilly end-of-winter’s
day and listened to the raindrops on the roof and it felt perfect.
I had woken
as usual with my alarm at 6.25am even though I was going to be working from
home that day. Upon waking I decided that today I was going to live my dream
life…the good life…do all those lovely things that I think about and want to do,
yearn for, but don’t have time for, AND still get my work done! My image of a
dream life is not one that is necessarily busy and full of amazing and new
things or packed with fun and excitement by buzzing from one activity to
another, but one that lives in the deepest part of my soul – one which is also amazing
and full and exciting. It was going to be one that included all my seemingly
ordinary activities such as getting children ready for school, getting ready
for my day, or tidying the kitchen.
What was
going to enhance this day and make it so much better was to go about it with
more intention and using my time wisely and mindfully and moving seamlessly
from one moment to another. I knew I was going to include some meditation and
yoga to get my mind calm and my body loosened up. I knew it would include
writing a few pages of stream of consciousness to process thoughts and clear my
mind for the day to come. I would then start into my work. While time may be a
concern (and often is enough for me to stall and not do the things I really
want to do) and while I my preference might be to spend 30 minutes doing yoga,
a further 45 minutes doing a meditation before taking 20 minutes to write a few pages of words, what I acknowledged and accepted easily was that I did have limited
time – but that was no reason to not do all those things – I just needed to
take a different approach. So, I spent 15 minutes doing a combined yoga and
mind clearing meditation followed by 20 minutes of writing my few pages of stream of
consciousness. I then started my work just after 8.30am.
What is
also noticeable about my dream life is the awareness of the way I go about daily
routines. Routine can be useful and we all have them, but they can also be done
on autopilot with your mind elsewhere, distracted, just processing and doing
life. Day in and day out. Mindfully approaching my routines on the other hand with
a sense of ritual speak to me on an emotional level where I am fully engaged
and are done with a sense of purpose that is meaningful and done mindfully. I
am living in the Now. It is like an extension of meditation in that I am
actively focused on what I am intentionally doing. I am tuned in to what I am
doing in the moment whether it is cleaning the bathroom, wiping down the kitchen
bench, making a cup of tea, talking to the dog or saying goodbye to my children
for the day. My attention is focused on the activities as I carry them out, not
just ‘tick, one more thing completed, Next!’.
It is about choice. Choosing to
embrace the slow, mindful pace of life while still doing the things that needed
to be done rather than focusing on the busyness and losing myself in it.
As I now write
this at the end of my day I note how liberating it was to be fully immersed and
experiencing each moment. Taking the time to feel it and allow that feeling to
be etched into my inner being. A gentle reminder that this is attainable every
day no matter what my situation is. It is also attainable when I am based in my
office at work…I can still maintain this peaceful mindset while doing my train
commute, the walking to work in the wind and rain, the sitting at my desk
working my way through a multitude of emails with an approach of mindfulness
and peace.
A few points that I find good to remember...
- What things do I put off doing due to lack of time or because I'm not living in the right house, or the weather isn't ideal, or I don't have a room to set up for an activity, or I have children needing my attention or no partner to do it with? Can I do one of those things in a modified way to make it happen today?
- Can I give myself a reminder to get my head back into the Now...bring my attention back to what I am doing and empty the distractions from my mind so I am fully focused and embracing the feeling to existing in this current moment?
- Am I rushing through my routines when I could turn my attention to them where I begin to enjoy them and they become a ritual associated with this good, mindful life.
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