In light of the news from Saturday, please pause for a moment to remember the families who were affected by the event in Pittsburgh.
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We are quickly approaching the holiday season and there are a wide array of activities to keep us busy and distracted from the many blessings we share. The key may be to approach the season with purpose and intentionality, ensuring time for ourselves and those important to us. We might consider the significance of quality versus quantity as a means of deciding where to focus our energies.
Regardless of how we tend to organize our time and goings-on this season, there is wisdom in Emerson’s words. We can no longer inform what’s happened in the past nor do we have the ability to predict our future. We do, however, have the capacity to influence our current actions and mindset. This ability is the essence of presence.
As a practice, mindfulness is the concentration of presence that exposes us to the wonderful power of observation. Jon Kabat-Zinn explains it this way:
Mindfulness is awareness, cultivated by paying attention in a sustained and particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and non-judgmentally. It is one of many forms of meditation, if you think of meditation as any way in which we engage in (1) systematically regulating our attention and energy (2) thereby influencing and possibly transforming the quality of our experience (3) in the service of realizing the full range of our humanity and of (4) our relationships to others and the world.
In consideration of Kabat-Zinn’s thoughts, auditing what lies within us, as Emerson wrote, and reclaiming those qualities that are positive and edifying, seems to be an appropriate course to take in accessing and reclaiming our power and presence.
Have a wonderfully mindful and present week!
Be Well and Be Blessed!
Lucinda
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