A Few Of My Favorite Things
Spending time with grandchildren, walking the dog, and feeling the seasons change-- long, leisurely bike rides, late afternoon naps and living life (as opposed to life living me)-- these are a few of my favorite things. And all of them were part of 2020!
I will forever remember the COVID pandemic, and the sickness/deaths that it caused. The lockdowns, the masks. the social distancing and the social impact that resulted-- all of it. That can never be minimized, or sugar-coated.
I will also carry forever the scars of the political experiment we lived through, here in the States-- and in large chunks of the world. For millennia, the wars being fought were physical wars among different countries or peoples, but the war of ideas and the power of words are now indelibly etched in my mind.
As 2020 draws to a close, however, the holiday spirit kindles a flame of optimism, and I am remembered of all the good things I experienced the past year. Yes, some cataclysmically negative things occurred in 2020, but I choose not to dwell upon them-- I choose not to attach to those things, and I choose not to judge them. Instead, I choose to let them pass.
How does that happen? For me, it's all about mindfulness and meditation-- regularly exercising what I sometimes refer to as the "let-it-go muscle". That practice has served me, well. It allows me to look backward and forward, in a clear-eyed fashion that remembers but does not re-live or re-experience-- that projects and imagines, without being unduly affected by thoughts or emotions.
That's not to say I don't care about anything-- I most definitely do. And that's not to say, "it's all good"-- it most certainly is not. But just as most lawyers are trained to analyze, understand and argue both sides of a case, so too are meditators trained to analyze, understand and think their thoughts or feel their emotions, without being ruled by them.
Let the dog bite. Let the bee sting. Maybe feel sad. Simply remember a few of your your favorite things, and then you won't feel so bad.
P. S. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and warm holiday wishes to everyone-- regardless of gender, race or creed!
I will forever remember the COVID pandemic, and the sickness/deaths that it caused. The lockdowns, the masks. the social distancing and the social impact that resulted-- all of it. That can never be minimized, or sugar-coated.
I will also carry forever the scars of the political experiment we lived through, here in the States-- and in large chunks of the world. For millennia, the wars being fought were physical wars among different countries or peoples, but the war of ideas and the power of words are now indelibly etched in my mind.
As 2020 draws to a close, however, the holiday spirit kindles a flame of optimism, and I am remembered of all the good things I experienced the past year. Yes, some cataclysmically negative things occurred in 2020, but I choose not to dwell upon them-- I choose not to attach to those things, and I choose not to judge them. Instead, I choose to let them pass.
How does that happen? For me, it's all about mindfulness and meditation-- regularly exercising what I sometimes refer to as the "let-it-go muscle". That practice has served me, well. It allows me to look backward and forward, in a clear-eyed fashion that remembers but does not re-live or re-experience-- that projects and imagines, without being unduly affected by thoughts or emotions.
That's not to say I don't care about anything-- I most definitely do. And that's not to say, "it's all good"-- it most certainly is not. But just as most lawyers are trained to analyze, understand and argue both sides of a case, so too are meditators trained to analyze, understand and think their thoughts or feel their emotions, without being ruled by them.
Let the dog bite. Let the bee sting. Maybe feel sad. Simply remember a few of your your favorite things, and then you won't feel so bad.
P. S. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and warm holiday wishes to everyone-- regardless of gender, race or creed!
Dec 23, 2020 by
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