Slow down and feel groovy

Slow down, you move too fast. You've got to make the morning last. Just skipping down the cobble stones. Looking for fun and feelin' groovy. - Simon and Garfunkel

Change the morning to moment and you've got my current philosophy. Enjoy each moment you have, especially if you're doing something you really love. There is no sense running around like crazy. because that's no fun at all.

It's easy to start ruminating on the to-do list, raising the blood pressure and ruining the current moment. I do it all the time. But, I also feel good when I get a lot accomplished; when I cross several tasks off my to-do list.

So for me, it's discovering a new balance. One where I still feel a sense of accomplishment, without running myself ragged. Where I stop and enjoy the good things in each moment, hour or day.

One way I'm trying to accomplish this goal is through mindful meditation. It a practice of trying to be completely present in the current moment, not simply doing a task while my mind rushes off to figure out what I have to do next. While practising mindful meditation, I pay attention to what I'm doing or to whom I'm talking, listening to the individual and the noises around me, assessing how my body feels, the temperature in the room and the sensentations I feel.

As a multi-tasker, mindful meditation is quite difficult. I regularly do two or three things at once or list subsequent tasks in my head when I haven't even completed the one I'm working on. So I'm starting by being more present when visiting with others. Sometimes, I'm successful, other times, I'm not. But I'm trying.

I found that since I spent a lot of time alone during my cancer journey, I practised a twist on mindful meditation. When I was walking or simply sitting and recovering, I'd reflect on my situation and how I felt. I paid a lot of attention to my body and mind. That practise, as well as this blog, helped me better mentally process. I was mindfully in the present and conscious of what cancer means to me.

I find I also practise a form of mindful meditation when I clean. While I don't focus on the act of scrubbing the bathtub and how the cleanser feels on my hands (which is true mindful meditation), I use that time to let my mind roam free and randomly hone in on the issues bothering me, or reflect on situations or feelings. For me, it's a way to work through things.

So between slowing down and practising mindful meditation, I think I can better capture each moment so I can be kickin' down the cobblestones and feelin' groovy.

Join me in the quest for grooviness.

Tina