This week on the podcast Happier With Gretchen Rubin, Gretchen and her sister Elizabeth discussed single-tasking – making a practice of doing only one thing at a time. So, basically, mindfulness.
Mindfulness is my current obsession, so I love hearing it discussed. And it’s discussed everywhere these days. The trouble is, every day it gets easier to multi-task. You can text in the car, using a dictation app. You can watch a TV show on your phone while taking a walk outside. You can write a blog post with a TV show on in the background (which I often do).
Tee, Teddy, and I just got home from a trip to Vegas for Thanksgiving; my mother traveled with us, and we spent the holiday with my sister. It was a lovely trip, with lots of family togetherness and mini-adventures. (Plus, when Thanksgiving is over, it’s officially time to be in the Christmas spirit!)
There were several moments during this week that I caught myself being sharp or testy, or nagging. I think that being more vigilant about mindfulness would help with these situations. When I’m multi-tasking, my attention is never fully anywhere, and it’s harder to stay in touch with my mind, my heart, and my body. My nagging or testiness – these are tendencies I am aware of. But I want to do more than just be aware. My goal is to notice when I am feeling a certain way, and then to be kind and loving even when I am feeling aggravated. I want to be mindful, and then I want to choose to be kind.
I’m all about mantras – I like having something simple that I can say to myself in moments of stress to remind me of who I am and who I want to be. Today, I am trying out a new one: be mindful and be kindful.
