Loving-Kindness

                                                       
                Cultivating Loving-Kindness
  Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.
                                                                                           -Mark Twain-                

This weeks meditation was better for me than the last two weeks.  I think that part of that has to do with the fact that I found the ladies voice easier to listen to.  It wasn't difficult as the topic of loving-kindness is something that I focus on everyday in my prayer time as I think about and pray for family and friends.  In fact, on the desk top of my computer there is an accessory called media player that plays music from my iTunes and rotates pictures from my photo albums.  Every day I sit for 15 or 20 minutes meditating as I listen to the music, watch the pictures, and focus on the love I have for my family and friends. 
       I have found that loving-kindness is something that people you come in contact with can feel even when no words are spoken.  It comes from within and just flows out.  My husband asked me one day, after a trip to the market, why it was that random strangers seem to come up to me and just start talking and many times telling me personal problems that are bothering them.  The only answer I had at the time was that perhaps somehow they know that I honestly care enough to listen.  After our reading the last couple of weeks I definitely think that's true.  As to whether or not I would recommend this meditation to others, there are a few very nasty, difficult people I may suggest it too.  Just kidding, yes I would recommend it.

I think what Dacher means by mental-workout is simply exercising the brain.  Being willing to take time each day for contemplative practice as Dacher puts it.  He says to take an hour a day, which is optimal, but if someone only has 15 minutes or so I would encourage them to do what they can.  Something is better than nothing.  We learn from the time we are young the importance of getting adequate physical exercise but not much emphasis is put on exercising the brain.  As Dacher (2006) puts it "it is a way of  cross-training our body, mind, and spirit all at the same time".

                         Intentional Thoughts

This morning I finally had the time to do devote to listening to the audio clip Crime of the Century.  I decided that as part of being intentional with growing in my spiritual awareness I needed to put aside my previous negative feelings about last weeks meditation and start fresh with this one.  I sat in my favorite chair in our reading room, took off my socks, and turned on the meditation.  Truthfully, this weeks meditation was much more soothing and I was able to focus on the meditation and barely noticed the gentleman's voice in the background.  Everything seemed so relaxed and it was nice being able to meditate and regroup before I started my studying for the day.  Now, I don't have young children at home anymore, but I do have a 14 year old Maltese, Jewel, with bladder issues.  Just as he got to the part about focusing on my upper stomach area and envisioning a yellow beam of light coming down there was the familiar bark, bark, which translated means take me out now or I will pee on the floor.  So, I hit the pause button and took her majesty out.  In all fairness, being an older female myself I don't fault her too much as I do understand bladder issues.  After that I listened to the rest but wasn't able to fully relax again.  This is a meditation that I would use again. 

                    Finding Balance in an Unbalanced World

                           "Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear- not absence of fear." - Mark Twain
                                                                                                                      
So far this has been a busy but blessed week.  Always feels good when Tuesday comes and everything was successfully accomplished and turned in for school.  Some weeks that can be more challenging than others but taking deep breaths and focusing on the goal gets me through.  I just have to remind myself how blessed I am to have this opportunity to get my degree and hopefully use it to help others.  Yesterday during a break from studying I decided to pray and refocus my energy.  I listened to a song during this time that helped my spirit relax and find peace.  Here is a link to the song on youtube if you want to check it out.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXDGE_lRI0E

This weeks blog discussion focuses on taking an inventory of ourselves and ways we can work on improving our well-being.  I reflected for a few moments on how differently my answers are now as opposed to how I would have answered them 10 or more years ago.  I am so very thankful to be where I am today and the lifestyle choices that I made to get me to this point. 

On a scale of 1-10 I would say my physical well-being is an 8.  Even though my body has healed itself a great deal there are still areas that are weak and recovering.  Also, having had my appendix out and a complete hysterectomy there will always be minor challenges.  My goal is to continue using  healthy diet and exercise to continue strengthening my body.  I would rate my spiritual well-being as a 9.  Praying and communing with God has given me a focus and peace that is hard to explain unless you have experienced it.  As I read the bible and pray every day I know that I am not on this journey in life alone, the creator of the universe is with me at all times.  There are things I can improve like taking time memorizing scripture and spending more time in prayer.  I am a work in progress.  As for my psychological well-being it is probably an 8.  Menopause is upon me, need I say more.  I am fortunate to have grown up in a wonderful home and been married to my best friend for 37 years so I don't really have any major past baggage to deal with.  I am working on not dispensing so much "good" advice  to my youngest son (who is 33) and learning how to set better boundaries when I talk to and minister to some of the emotionally needy people around me.  God is helping to develop me every day on this journey called life.

Reflections on Relaxation

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.
                                                     John 14:27

Welcome to my blog.  This blog is dedicated to helping myself, as well as others find ways of becoming healthier in both body and spirit.  Finding ways to stay focused and centered in this crazy fast- paced society is challenging, but absolutely necessary if we wish to achieve wellness and health.  I have heard my husband say many times " Every day we wake up with the chance to be great.  Most of choose to be mediocre."  Let's all choose to be great.

For this week's blog we were supposed to listen to a relaxation exercise and relate our experience.  Now, in theory, I embrace prayer and meditation and use it often to reflect and relax.  In fact, the bible verse above refers to having peace in our lives. When I go to see my acupuncturist she has peaceful music playing which allows me to float away and meditate, taking my stress with it.  But I do have to say that the audio clip was not my cup of tea.  Frankly, I found the tenor of the gentleman's voice and his cadence annoying.  I was so focused on what he was saying that I really couldn't relax.  For me peaceful music is a much better vehicle for relaxation.  In fact, YouTube has several Christian meditations that I listen to for this purpose.  No offense meant to the person who did the audio clip, but it really did annoy me.

Tuesday evening July 9, 2013

This will be an interesting experience for me.  Starting back to school later in life has been both challenging and rewarding when it comes to using my computer.  Before this I was happy to know how to cut and paste (took several tries to get it right) and send a successful email.  Now I can navigate the school website, effectively research and find credible information, use APA correctly, and much to my amazement I have learned how to do a power point presentation.  Look at me now, I am blogging. Up till now I had never even read a blog. Being able to put my fears aside and tackle this new phase of my life has been an adventure, but one that has enriched my life and allowed me to grow in so many ways.  I can now confidently say that we are never too old to follow our passions and redefine who we are.  If we don't take the risk we never know what could have been.  I look forward to getting to know all of you as we share this blogging adventure together.

Cindy