Mindfulness

This morning, shortly before lunchtime, our receptionist sent out an email to everyone letting us know that there were goodies in the kitchen.   Jimmy Johns dropped off three sandwiches for us to sample.   Considering it was Ash Wednesday I thought their timing was pretty bad, but given how fast they disappeared it doesn’t seem as though there are many Catholics at my company.  Later on, when I was in the kitchen, a bit after lunch, there was a boxes of leftover doughnuts and pizza sitting out for whomever wanted to munch.

I thought how I mindlessly eat things, not because I am hungry but because it’s there.   I was glad for the fasting of this day as I wasn’t tempted to swipe a snack or two.

This evening while waiting for dinner to cook, I read a few blogs and two struck me and helped solidify what my Lent is to be about.   Rebecca is going to pay more attention to her prayer life.  Spending time with the Lord will take a priority over the instant access to social media.   Then I read Stephanie’s post about picking a word on which to focus over the course of these forty Lenten days.

My Lenten plans suddenly became clear.   The word that I thought about at work today is it - mindfulness.

I had been struggling as to what I was going to do in preparation for Easter.   I really didn’t feel called to give up something. In doing that it seemed like I was choosing something more for health reasons than for sacrificial and prayerful purposes.   I knew I wanted to do something.

I need to be mindful.   About what I eat.   About what I say and do and write.   About what I fill my mind with through books and television and the net.  About what I spend time and money on.

When we watch our niece we are careful in the language that we use.   Her little mind absorbs everything.   We don’t want to be the person that teaches Sara her first bad word.  Actually, it was her mother that did that one!   Sis still blushes over that.  So why do I use those same words around anyone else?

The need of being mindful about what I read and write became terribly obvious to me last week.   I scribbled out a rant a couple of days ago and when I post it tomorrow I think you’ll see why.   Words and time make a difference.

I do love when things come together.   I struggled the last few days figuring out what I was supposed to be doing.   Thanks to Rebecca, Stephanie and a mixed up set of circumstances I’m now mindful of just what it is.


AMDG