Mind
Less Monday
How
to Mind Less
When
My Mind Is Full
A
Case Against Being Mindful
I don’t want to be
mindful all the time, or even most of the time. It’s a worthy endeavor, but my
mind is full most days. If I give careful, that is, mindful, attention to
everything, I foresee serious overload, resulting in my brain experiencing the
infamous Microsoft Blue Screen or the Mac spinning rainbow of doom.
To avoid such an
experience, and contrary to all things Zen, I decided a few months ago to have Mind Less Mondays.
Mind less. “It’s a
regular Monday,” is a saying I recall from someone I once knew—meaning that
Monday isn’t the best of days. Every moment of busy-ness and activity from the
weekend seems to be crashing and burning on my doorstep, on my counters, and on
my table. I’m minding it all—more—instead of less as I am pulled in too many
directions to count. Remnants of the dog’s stomach illness, although given
a thorough scrubbing by hand, still stain my office carpet. Dirt and muddy
footprints remain where my huge dieffenbachia toppled to the floor late
yesterday afternoon. Repotting, scrubbing, and carpet cleaning top my daily
list as soon as my workday ends. Dishes, clutter, and laundry beckon as a result of having a house full of people this weekend. My gas tank arrow points toward empty after driving
300+ miles yesterday. Deadlines loom. Mindfulness and minding less are far from
the horizon of my psyche. I’m also tired and grumpy.
I’m minding so much
more today that I must search for ways to mind less. I’ll take them one by one.
Busy-ness from the
weekend means that I was not alone. I was connected to my family and extended
family during the weekend. That busy-ness
meant shared meals and conversations. That busy-ness meant baby holding
and snuggling as uncles and aunties and this nana spent time with Emma, who at
7½ months, is the youngest member of the tribe. (It's easy to mind less that she threw up on my white linen pants.) That busy-ness meant activity,
noise, hugs, and contact with those closest to me. For the benefits I received,
I’ll take the clutter, dishes, and laundry.
It’s tough to mind
less that the dog ate a pound of coconut oil and got sick—twice—on my office
carpet. He’s now well, without a trip to the vet and any expense, so I’ll
view that as a plus. I also have a carpet-cleaning machine, which makes it easier to get that extra job done.
Repotting means that
later today, I can put my hands in the dirt, one of my favorite pastimes. I’d
procrastinated far too long on providing the overgrown dieffenbachia a larger pot
with fresh dirt. It’s a dirty life; I know that. I have the opportunity to do
some cleaning.
I drove all those
miles yesterday with a heavy heart. A celebration of life was
held in Lake Worth for my long-time friend Myrle, who lost her struggle with
cancer earlier this month. Somber thoughts and feelings tugged at me earlier in
the day, but those waned as I saw the many family and friends who gathered to
remember the woman they loved. I felt connected to people with whom I’d lost
touch for far too long.
It’s hard to mind
less that someone you love has died, so I’m working on that and will be for
quite some time. I, like many others, must look for and find some peace in the
knowledge that her battle with illness is over and find some acceptance to take
the place of the heaviness and emptiness in my heart. I’m not quite ready for
minding less this aspect of my Monday (or my life), but that’s part of loving and being
loved. My gas tank will be filled, and my heart will be filled as I focus more
on celebration and love than on loss.
Deadlines are a part
of my career as an editor. Today, rather than fret as I check the calendar and
note what still must be done, I’ll instead be grateful that I have those
deadlines to meet.
Gratitude is the key
to minding less—and being mindful. I’ll say thank you more often today, for
family, pets, babies, friends, work, and soap.
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