Happy Labor Day!
I hope you have the chance to relax today! I would be remise if I didn’t remind you to keep all the many, many folks who are unemployed in your prayers. These are difficult times.
This weekend, I’ve been reading Life Is An Attitude, written by Dottie Billington. It’s a little self-help book that was mentioned by someone in an on-line course I’m taking, and I thought I’d check it out. So far, I like what I’ve read.
Today, I was reading about mindfulness. The concept, according to Billington, means being fully present in the moment. Because we are so busy, we tend to do a lot of things on autopilot. We don’t stop to think why we do what we do, but rather just go through the motions of daily life. That’s not a good way to live.
In fact, it’s one of the big reasons why many of us are dealing with a host of health, finance, and relationship problems, just to name a few.
In health, it’s well-known that many of us are killing ourselves with the foods we eat. Chronic illnesses like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer can be tied directly to our diets.
In finance, many of us continue to live beyond our means, buying things we really don’t need and can’t afford.
In relationships, we often take the people who care for us the most for granted.
Being mindful may help change some of these issues. Billington writes,
Mindfulness means being fully present in the moment. It means being mindful about what you say, and do, and want to accomplish… During your day, periodically ask yourself:
- Why am I doing this?
- Is this the best way to do it?
- Is there a different way to do it?
- Am I doing it out of habit?
- Am I being mindful?
So, this Labor Day, I think it would be great if we could,
- Pay attention to what we’re eating. It would be a great day to try some veggie burgers for that cookout!
- Stop buying things we don’t need. Before going shopping, make a list and avoid impulse purchases.
- Call someone who is struggling right now. Without a doubt, they could use a lift.
