Mindfulness
We all have rituals, of sorts, and don’t even realize it sometimes. I call them Rituals of Preparedness. Even if it’s just that deep breath before embarking on something we find stressful or exciting. Things in our lives that we must do that take our breath away. Some of it is the impulse that evolves into rituals. Some are our physiological responses to situations that, if we keep our bodies and mind healthy, will be the response that will take care of us. Pay attention to this part in yourself. The impulse you have cultivated to respond to these moments. Are they good for you and those around you? We restore ourselves to a sort of center with a deep breath, a drink of water, a stretch to regain our footing and confidence, or the appearance of such. And that’s the key. Do you live a life that is “the appearance” of being well, the appearance of being happy, the appearance of being together?” An authentic life is the one lived where there are no appearances of being anything, but the reality of being who you are. The space between or the overlap of the two is where the life you live becomes the prison in which you live, created solely by you yourself. If you don’t succumb to the perceptions of others, or the demands of their pinhole perceptions of who you are, you will find yourself living in a life that is authentic. Listen to and watch your impulses when you appear before others. Is it you, or is their perception of you? The only way to live a healthy life is to live like you. Let the perceptions of you by others be their own. They’ll have them anyway, so be who you are. Your best you no matter what and it will never be skewed. You won’t be caught unaware of trying to keep the semblance of authenticity, but instead, just being authentic.
This publication will explore our rituals of preparedness for a life in which we have little control it feels like, much of the time. Being in the moments, even seconds of our lives. Even when we have been swept away from the unanticipated, and still able to remain in the moment. We are in a place where we feel our breath, put thought to feelings, place emotions where they belong, and let emotions exist in their full regalia.
