Gymnastics of Attention

11/22/2024

The title of this passage Gymnastics of Attention written by Menka Sanghavi drew my attention. A question arose in my mind: Do I pay full and undivided attention to what is going on in my mind? Am I aware of where my mind is when I make choices? Am I mindful and aware of me making my choices? This is an important question for me to ask. This question makes me aware of where is my mind? Is it fully present in the present moment or wandering in different directions? When I am awake and aware of my mind I become centered and fully present. In these moments my mind is clear, free from the past that is already gone and free from the future that is yet to come. I have learned the significance of living in the present and not in the past or in the future. I know this is the right and wise way of living. Living this way makes my mind free from the grip of the past and the future. I flow in the river of self-consciousness which leads me to the unitive consciousness. It is a journey and it helps me live fully and openly. We all are aware of what is happening in our country. We are not the United States of America. We are the Divided States of America. We all need to work together to go from Me to We. We need to build bridges and not walls. It is a call for all of us and we all need to listen to it with an open mind and an open heart. I believe we can do it. The light of awareness shines and we need to walk together, joining hands with each other. This is very important. It is time to remain awake and aware for all of us. And I believe we can do it.
Namaste.

1 Comment

There's M. Griffin link

11/23/2024 03:56:01 pm

Who are we the United States of America or the We are the Divided States of America? Wow! A powerful awareness that I need to take time and reflect. When it comes to tough times do I embrace and only let my mind wander? My definition of Wandering is that my mind wants to move into avoidance hearing negative and working to change my “I Can’t towards I CAN.” Simone Well term of "gymnastics of the attention" makes sense.

My mind does jump around with old messages like Aunt Ruby, "Our people don't play golf." I thought that was stange. Yet, she was raised and rooted in the back hills of Tennessee even though as a young bride she and husband moved to Harvey Illinois. In early history Harvey was known as Appalacian territory. That was true on both sides of my mother’s and father's relatives – no one played golf. I started my road of recovery on November 22, 1975. I didn’t know anyone I worked with in the factory except the supervisors who played golf. I started playing golf with friends who were in recovery because they came from all walks of life. That’s funny that I still hold on 49 years later that Ruby said, “Our people don’t play golf.” Those types of messages puts limitations on us. It plants the seeds of I’m not being good enough. I did play golf socially for about 10 years. I tell other people I’m not a golfer – I play at it to the best of my ability and for fellowship.

One of my greatest gifts in sobriety is that I can meditate and be one with the spirit of our universe. I started attending retreats that would invite us into Centering Prayer, Ignatius Exercises, Zin, Yoga, and the 12 Steps helps me to be centered.

A few of the steps:
3. Made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of God as we understood God.
6. Were entirely ready to have God remove all these defects of character.
7. Humbly asked God to remove our shortcomings.
11. Sought through prayer and meditation to improve our conscious contact with
God as we understood God, praying only for knowledge of God’s will for us
and the power to carry that out.
12. Having had a spiritual awakening as the result of these steps, we tried to
carry this message to alcoholics, and to practice these principles in all our
affairs.

One of my sober mentors asked, “Therese, Do you ask God to bless you?” No. I pray for others not myself. She guided me to practice the following.
5 times out loud: “Thank you, God, for a beautiful day. God bless me.”
5 times softly: “Thank you, God, for a beautiful day. God bless me."
5 times quietly: “Thank you, God, for a beautiful day. God bless me."

It seems unreal 49 years living clean and sober. Through the grace of God, I found a new journey, “one day at a time.” An old saying, "THe Love in Your Heart wasn't Put There to Stay. Love isn't Love until You Give it Away." Thank you, my brothers and sisters for loving me and I love you, Therese

Mindfulness

Gymnastics of Attention

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