Archive for June, 2008
Attention - Susan Kaiser Greenland
While attention is fundamental to mindfulness training for kids it absolutely is NOT the whole picture. Mindfulness training focuses on two areas of practice that are taught in tandem -awareness (or attention) practices and kindness practices. Without the elements of kindness and compassion, attention training simply isn’t mindfulness.
A Powerful Teaching — Trudy Goodman
On June 9th, my birthday, this unknown girl touches my heart. She evokes the compassionate teaching of all the special kids who are different somehow: we don’t have to be afraid of what we don’t yet understand — we don’t have to be scared of shrieks and groans — or of our own minds and hearts.
SisterFriendSister — Amy Spies
As I’ve grown up and evolved myself, girlfriends have become increasingly important to me, and like sisters. They really do feel like a growing extended family, a net for me in case I stumble, a warm embracing hug for when I need that. I kind of mentally picture the women in my life as a circle around me, holding hands and full of life. Hmmm—kind of like those circles we made with our children in preschool holding a parachute.
What is your pace of life? — Sue Smalley
Children and adults with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder) are often moving at a different pace than those around them, and that can be a source of difficulty. Recognizing your pace (and ranges of comfort and discomfort) can be an important part in discovering how to sync with the world around you.
MINDFUL IN THE CHAOS — Seth Greenland
But what about when a storm does hit, what then Mr. Mindful? To that I would say this: When a storm hits, do everything you can to keep safe and dry. And keep clearly in mind that the storm will exhaust itself, pass on, and blue skies will literally return. When in the middle of a giant upset, this is the thing to focus on.
Why I can’t wait for the new Hand-Held Wireless Telephone: Prohibited Use – Vehicle Code 23123 to go into effect. — Diana Winston
I can’t wait for the new law to go into effect because my mindfulness has been seriously at risk thanks to using my cell phone in my car.
A Mindful Instant Message — Amy Spies and her daughter Paris
Here’s an IM between me and my daughter.
Amy(8:05:54 PM): Hi there.
Amy (8:07:39 PM): I though t we could chat a bit about what it means to be a mindful mom. I know you’ve been exposed to this world through myself and Susan Kaiser Greenland and helping her and Trudy Goodman teach meditative arts to kids when [...]
Four Steps Towards Peace — Sue Smalley
So what can we do to address our varying levels of ignorance and create a more peaceful and compassionate world? I believe there are four steps we each can take everyday to promote a more compassionate world.
There’s a lot less honesty going around than people are willing to admit to. — Kelley McCabe
And, in that one moment, I thought I understood the meaning of the word “freedom”. I didn’t have to let my previous upset impact my interaction with my son. It was a new moment, all its own, and I was completely free to experience it independently of any other moment (or set of moments).
Why can’t all children have what we do? Trudy Goodman
I had seen raggedy five year olds taking care of skinny babies and blind babies and begging children crippled from polio and moms with TB and, and, and…
You Can’t Handle the Truth - Sue Smalley
James Carse in his new book, The Religious Case against Belief, writes of various types of ignorance differing in the degree of effort present with each. As the flip side of ignorance is awareness, it also comes with various shades of effort. It does take effort to direct my eyesight inward and see the 1000+ regions of mind (good and evil) and to realize that perhaps the greatest purpose in in life is the discovery process.
Why is my husband on the Internet in his underpants? - Susan Kaiser Greenland
My brilliant and erudite husband has a new book coming out and it seems as if the ‘author video’ is de rigeur - I uploaded a screenshot and posted it below . . .
The Meaning of Moments — Kelley McCabe
What I’ve thought about lately are the big moments I do remember. The moments that were unbelievably exciting and noteworthy at the time and now seem impossible… or worse: a waste of time.
Mother of Thousands - Trudy Goodman
Mindfulness is about balance: being aware of one’s own experience while being sensitive and attuned to our impact on others. In our lives, we are continually falling out of balance. . .
Not so fit - Lisa Dinsmore
What keeps me going back for more? I can’t stand “losing” to a machine. I realize this is a competition only in my mind, but since it’s keeping track of my fitness “progress” I’m compelled to make it change its’ tune and am scared every time I step on the board. I guess anything that gets the heart rate up is a good thing, right?
Alice and Rebecca Walker Clash: Do Feminist Mothers Have to Choose Between Dreams and Diapers?
What I take issue with, and I am not alone, is Rebecca’s black and white take on mothering — there is her mother, the selfish careerist, and then there is her, the new mom who argues that all that should matter to a young woman with children is “a happy family.” What happened to the self-preserving and child-loving in between?
Do the best you can - Susan Sawyers
With just days to go before the school year comes to an end and all of the celebrations, birthdays, ceremonies, not to mention day-to-day routines, I need to remind myself of the quality time we have together. It’s not quantity. The right thing is to love my boy all up. It’s the best I can do.
When a work ethic conflicts with fun - Sue Smalley
Scientists are showing that play is important for health and well-being, having fun makes us live happier and healthier lives. So what stops us from having fun?