Managing Life in a Changing World

 

1905 – 2005

My grandmother was born in 1905. She lived 102 years before her death. She saw amazing inventions and experienced an amazing life. Now when I use the word “amazing,” I am using it as it is defined by Merriam-Webster, ‘causing great surprise or wonder.’ This does not always mean that her experiences were all wonderful. It means that over her lifetime, she witnessed or lived through many astonishing, astounding, dumfounding, jaw-dropping, flabbergasting, shocking, stunning, stupefying, eye-opening, jarring, and/or surprising occurrences.

Some events were personal. Some were community or world events that affected her personally. Other events neither affected nor impacted her. Of course, my grandmother did not have access to the world wide web, social media, or 24 hours of news and political commentary.

For the past four years, we have lived through astounding events. Some events have been jaw-dropping. Who would have thought that over 750,000 American citizens would die from a virus? Who would have thought that Americans would argue about wearing masks? I wonder what my grandmother would say about that.

We learned that the water in Flint and Benton Harbor Michigan is undrinkable due to lead contamination. The infrastructure is decaying. Washington DC politicians are so deadlocked, they cannot pass a reasonable infrastructure bill to protect its citizens. Speaking of protection, what about the condominium collapse near Miami, Florida? Families continue to struggle with the loss of loved ones.

Shocking!

The events of the past few years leave many of us wondering what will happen next. Instead of questioning, perhaps we should approach our daily life with the wisdom of a centenarian. 102 years of life earns one a boatload of wisdom. This type of wisdom changes one’s outlook on life.

There isn’t an ill wind that doesn’t change.
Edna Quinney

My grandmother understood that nothing stays the same. The world evolves and changes. Our response to life changes affects how satisfying life feels. Over the past few years, I chose to focus on building my inner strength through mindfulness practice.

Mindfulness practice encourages me to live in the present moment. It also provides an opportunity to observe my thoughts, feelings, and responses in a non-judgmental way. Curiosity enables me to treat information objectively without infusing subjective feelings.

When we focus on the past, we tend to dwell on regrets, sadness, and pain. Focusing on the future creates anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. Many of us live in the past and in the future. Imagine the occurrences we miss in the present moment.

You Might be Saying

Mindfulness practice does not change the stupefying events that we see every day. Correct. Mindfulness practice does not change the world around you. It does change how you interact with the world around you. Mindfulness practice enables you to reign in uncontrolled thoughts that trigger emotions.

Have you ever trained a puppy? Puppies have short attention spans. The first segment of training is obedience training. You train a puppy to listen to your voice and to follow your commands. The puppy learns through repetition and positive reinforcement.

Once a puppy consistently follows the basic commands, the owner can move to more detailed training. Training is necessary for a well-behaved dog. Dogs and dog owners can enjoy being together in various settings when a dog is trained and socialized.

What does this have to do with mindfulness practice? Humans have an average of 6000 thoughts per day. That puts a new spin on the phrase ‘a penny for your thoughts.’ Many of these thoughts are automatic or fleeting. Thoughts trigger emotional reactions. We may not recognize that we are having the thought, but we experience the resulting emotion. Mindfulness practice trains us to recognize and acknowledge thoughts and emotions as they are experienced. It also provides a foundation that stabilizes us in the whirlwind of change.

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