Some Mindful Moments

As I stood there slowly breathing and being Mindful of it, I thought, yes it is Different but also the Same. :-) It made me think of all the varieties of any one species of flower, animal and yes humans!!! We share similarities and that is wonderful, but we also have differences which is equally wonderful. We should celebrate both. To have only one flower or one animal would not be very exciting and it is the same way with humans. We need to appreciate and value the wide variety of humans just like we do flowers and animals. 

As I took another slow breath and continued to be Mindful, I noticed how this Allium had larger flowers and they had more space between them and the Allium in my first post. Again, it was interesting to think about weight distribution and balance being different for this variety. The stems were also shorter. It was designed perfectly for this flower's need. Are we designed perfectly for what we need? Hmmm!

Maybe instead of just noticing the similarities and differences we need to think about why we are uniquely designed. What reason is there for the similarities we may have and what reason is there for the differences we have? Though we all may be a "work in progress," growing like a flower does, if we are in fact Perfectly Designed, then there must be a reason for all the similarities and differences we each have, just like flowers and animals. Perhaps if we take some time to breath slowly and think Mindfully about this, we may learn to appreciate our similarities and differences just like we do with flowers and animals and realize other humans are Perfectly Designed as well. Maybe as we walk past people or get to meet someone new and we think they are Perfectly Designed, we would value others more and have more compassion and empathy for them. Perhaps if we discussed this with others they too will value others more and feel more compassion and empathy for others, including ourselves. 

Sweetie Pie has apparently learned the sound of my front screen door because she seems to come from the back yard when I come out the front. One day, I turned around on my stoop and found her right on the sidewalk at the edge of the stoop. I wasn't sure if she was going to jump on the stoop to my feet. I have to say it kinda scared me and made me think maybe it isn't such a good thing to have her not fear humans? I do see videos online of people feeding them by hand that are cute, but then I also think how if they do this to the wrong person it may not be good for them. 

During the winter I didn't always get to stop and watch her, but now that it has warmed up I can take the time to slowly breath and just watch her for a little while. A few months ago I read something online that said not to feed squirrels peanuts as it can fill them up and they do not eat other food and peanuts alone will deplete their calcium and that of their babies. I was like "oh no!" I then was noticing how nurseries and bird stores sell peanuts with squirrels on the bag. I was not happy. Now I know peanuts are good for some birds and the squirrels of course steal them, but if people are putting out a lot of peanuts for squirrels this is not good. I finished up what I had and now switched to walnuts. Now that it is spring, I also don't give as many so she'll find other food on her own. 

One day, as I was breathing slowly and being Mindful of Sweetie Pie, I noticed how she will smell each of the nuts first before she picks the one she wants. I thought how interesting that is, we humans usually do the same thing, picking the best apple or pepper etc. Sometimes she will just sit there and eat the nut, other times she'll go up the tree and eat, and still other times she brings it to the backyard, perhaps to her babies. Yep, we do the same again. Sometimes we go out and eat alone, sometimes we want to eat in a more secure location, our office or home, and other times with family. 

As I continued to watch her I sighed and thought how grateful I am to have lived on 1.3 acres of woods starting when I was 13 yrs old. My folks lived there for almost 30 yrs. At first, I did not like our new house. I heard all kinds of animal sounds and animals walking across the roof at night when I was trying to sleep. There were many more bugs also than at our old house! ICK! 

I'm not quite sure the day or moment it all changed for me but at some point I fell in love and felt 'at home' in the woods. Driving up the long drive was like heading into a secret garden. The moment my foot got out of the car and on the ground I just felt I was part of the woods and soooo relaxed. I got to know the trees, the squirrels, the birds, bats, owls etc. Now we have the research that shows how Biophilia benefits us physically and mentally. In particular, the chemical phytoncide in pine trees increases NK (Natural Killer) cells which reduces chances of getting cancer. Of course the woods also lowering our levels of cortisol and adrenaline keeps your NK cells higher as well. Little did we know that living in the woods for so long was benefitting our family in such an incredible way back then! 

I'm so happy I now have a bit of biophilia with all the Sugar Maples in my area and one of my brothers has a wonderful yard with a HUGE Crimson King Maple and some other trees and bushes providing homes for squirrels, birds, butterflies etc. 

If you don't have the woods where you live, try to find some each week. Take a Mindful walk and look at the trees, flowers, birds, squirrels etc. You don't really have to walk far like you do for exercise to get this benefit. The Japanese call it Shinrin Yoku and in the US it is called Forest Bathing. And maybe, you can make a new friend! :-)

I was walking to pick up my niece from the bus and across the alley I saw these purple Alliums. I stopped and smiled. I remembered being a little girl and learning my dad loved these flowers. I stopped and looked at the purple flowers on the balls. It was interesting to see each individual flower but together they created something more than they would be alone. It is also interesting to see how such a large ball is supported by a long narrow stem. It then made me think of weight distribution and balance. Then I thought about how some people may not consider this a flower. 

As I continued to breath slowly and look at the Alliums, I thought how anything really can trigger memories, good or bad, and how our feelings can change just by viewing or hearing something else in the moment. Since feelings can change so quickly, it also means we can change them for the better by just being Mindful of something else. Another slow breath and I thought how sometimes it it helpful to be Mindful of the individual or small parts of life, but at other times it is better to be Mindful of the whole or larger parts of life. Another slow breath and I contemplate how sometimes the things we think could not sustain or support us are actually quite strong and helpful. Breathing in slowly again, I think of the pieces of my life and which pieces may be heavier than others and how it is a delicate balance to figure out. I think about how those pieces change in our life. Some pieces when we were younger are no longer in our life now but are replaced by new pieces. How some piece may still be with us but do not weigh the same. Life changes, so the distribution to balance also changes. Another deep slow breath and I think of how we all define things in life. Ourselves, others, things...also how our definitions change, in different ways, throughout our lives as we get older.