"The truth is that things don’t really get solved. They come together and fall apart. They come together again and fall apart again. It’s just like that. The healing comes from letting there be room for all of this to happen: room for grief, room for relief, room for misery, room for joy."
- Pema Chodron
Being mindful is about focusing our awareness on the present moment. It’s about staying present without worrying about or anticipating the future or lamenting the past. By being present with whatever IS, we can be aware of our feelings and worries, then let them go. Staying focused on the moment gives us the chance to savour and experience all that life has to offer. Living in the moment can make the joyous parts deeper, and it can keep us engaged. It can also help us experience and face the challenges and stresses of life more deeply. By being mindful of both the challenges and joys of life, we can face them, experience them, resolve them, then let them go.
2018 was a challenging year for me personally, as I lost both my parents. It was very much a practice in staying present, being mindful of whatever came up, acknowledging and feeling the pain of loss, then letting it go. What was so interesting about that experience was that as I mourned the losses, I was simultaneously struck by the love, beauty and sweetness in life, both of my parents, and of my family and friends.
Life is so much richer and more meaningful when we can stay in the moment and open ourselves to all that life has to offer.
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