Patience of Children

After the family get together at the weekend all the children were loaded up into the respective cars and strapped into their car seats. With everything done the grown-ups stood and chatted and a very long goodbye ensued as we enjoyed the evening coolness. Meanwhile the kids aged 6 months to four years sat in their pyjamas under blankets, strangely they just looked on not making a single sound by way of complaint for the delay and the time the adults were taking to wind up and get going. These were the same little ones who had been shouting the house down earlier with their laughter and crying, yet somehow they haven’t yet learnt to be impatient in the manner adults would be when waiting for one another. Given that they had no idea when the conversation would draw to a close and the cars would get moving their patience was a truly amazing sight.

Power of Relaxation

Making a conscious effort to stay relaxed in body and mind has more than the obvious benefits. I’m catching myself noticing more opportunities and making better decisions. I’m picking up more information and details than before in a whole range of situations. Body is more clearly able to sense when something is wrong too. To think all that energy was spent on being tense before! What a waste!

‘I always have a choice’

After much practice, this is a phrase I like to say to myself a lot – as creatures of habit we often forget we have choice in our thinking, our actions and decisions. The unconscious pull of our usual patterns of thinking or behaving cause us to do what we always do and hence we end up with the same old results.

To get different results – do things differently – flexibility is key.

Smile

It’s one of my favourite things to do when I’m out and about, one that’s very heart warming when shared with an appreciating stranger. Giving and receiving a smile changes both people. May be the person receiving a smile will go on to smile at someone else, it has a positive impact on the people watching too – and we are always being watched. Sometimes I wonder how long a chain of smiles could be, may be my smile could come all the way round and back to me ; )

Blue Sky

One of the things I catch myself doing from time to time during the day is stopping and taking a moment to look up at the sky and soak up its amazing beauty. It feels as if wherever I am in the world; outdoors in nature, stuck in a traffic jam surrounded by concrete jungles or simply at home, looking at the sky gives me instant access to nature and the feelings of inspiration and appreciation that come from seeing those stunning colours and patterns.

Don’t be a Slave

‘Don’t ever be a slave to your body, house, family, money, work or any other externals …’

I’m not sure where I came across this quote. It’s a great reminder though to keep things in perspective and not let any particular aspect of our lives take us over, control us, our time, emotions or thoughts, to the point that we forget ourselves and the other things which are important and beneficial to us and our wellbeing. Doing the best we can and then detaching can help us move away from obsessing and towards self mastery.

Red Roses

It’s been a month now since I came back from holiday. Usually the benefits have worn off by the time the laundry has been done and normal routine re-established. This time though things are different. I’m catching myself noticing things I didn’t see before like the stunning red roses in the neighbour’s garden as I drive off in the morning and the formation of the clouds in the evening sky. The rose bushes are quite mature, yet how come they didn’t enter my line of vision last year?

While on holiday I got into a wonderful habit of relishing the moment, just allowing my senses to soak up whatever I was seeing and hearing at the time. Not to be in my head, distracted by thoughts but to really experience that precious moment. I realized the present - this moment now is actually my entire life as the past and future don’t exist. To really ‘live’ my life I need to place attention fully in the present moment. I’m not ‘living’ my life if my mind is absorbed and lost in memories of the past or plans about the future, both have their place, but they can’t hog centre stage all the time. If I’m living the present moment really well, when I reach that time in the future, it too will get all my attention. It’s a very relaxing approach; I’ve noticed the change in muscle tone especially in my feet. Let’s hope it sticks!