Mood, mindfulness, and the texture of chocolate

I have a much better day when I'm having a good day. How about you?

Exceptions? Meh, sometimes I'm feeling pretty fly and say something happens to throw a wrench in the works. That still doesn't seem to throw me off course. For example, I bought a new-used car and was driving it home during Mud Season (what we call early Spring where I live; when you all are in flowers, we are in snow or in mud from the melting snow atop the deeply frozen clay below). 

I was almost home and the car stopped going... like it had no gas, yet it said it had gas. I was at an awkward intersection. But someone stopped to help, and that stopped traffic, and that stopped the Sherrif, who helped and called a tow truck, who brought me to try gas, and that's all it was! The sensor had become loose. 

So people who heard about it thought it sounded like a nightmare. But I thought it was great! The day was warm for a change as I stood outside, and I didn't need to walk to find a gas can and fill it with gas and haul it back only to find that someone had done something to my stray car. Everyone was friendly.

I may have just proven my point. If I'd gotten upset that I'd driven all that way to get a car only to have the car have a problem and then to have to sit around in scary traffic and have my time wasted, perhaps the day would've turned for the worse. Instead, I felt great gratitude!

Attitude is everything. If I don't have a great attitude, I can do something to change it. Can you? Chocolate bar? Tea? A walk? Exercise? Meditation?

Here's a thing that will connect every one of those things: mindfulness. It's not a crazy hard thing. If you've got one minute, you can start. Here's how it works.

Let's say that you have nothing but a minute and yourself. Close your eyes, and imagine a meadow, or the sea, or the woods, or a hot tub at a spa. Imagine a peaceful place. Really be mindful of what it feels like to be in that place. Breathe deeply for a couple of breaths. 

Now consider that you cannot close your eyes because of your surroundings. As someone speaks, find a feature on the person or a nearby object and study it intently
. Notice the nuances of the object - it may be hair, or a book binding or an arrangement of flowers. It may be eye color or handwriting. Be specific and notice texture and color and shape. Breathe deeply and notice the rise and fall of your chest.

Let's talk about chocolate, tea, coffee, fruit...  enjoy what you have. Notice the temperature of the beverage or food. Notice the texture. Taste it and wait for the taste to linger. Be mindful of the snap or melt of the chocolate or fruit, the way the beverage washes over your tongue. Breathe deeply and notice the rise and fall of your chest.

Walking or exercising? You know that makes you feel better. Yet even more so, notice it. Be mindful of birds, of the rise and fall of your chest, of the change of breeze on your face. Notice with interest the strain of your muscles and the relaxation that comes when you release the tension. 

While meditation is a specific act that speaks to the heart and soul of releasing from the mind, it is not so much a release from the whole mind as it is a release from the busy and distracted mind. Meditation can be for a very short time and can be mindful of just the breath or of simply noticing where one feels one's own eyebrows (try it!).

Share other ways that you enjoy quickly finding peace and improving your mood. Leave a note in the comments... I'll read them and oh, how I love to receive comments!!See you soon.