By Gregg Krech
Have you ever had this experience?
Your alarm goes off and you find yourself laying in bed as your mind and body begin to awake to the morning. Your mind quickly gets into gear like a computer booting up when you hit the “on” button. Thoughts begin to arise. You begin thinking about the day, about everything you have to do today. Meetings, deadlines, phone calls that need to be made. You begin anticipating the overwhelming demands that life will place on you today. Periodically, your mind slips in a wild card, like, “I should have gone to bed earlier”, or, “why did I wasted my time watching that stupid TV show last night?” You think about your schedule. Your to-do list begins to take form like a genie mysteriously emerging from a bottle, but instead of granting you a wish it’s reminding you of how much you need to do today. When you finally emerge from your warm bed and your bare feet make contact with the floor you’ve created some fuel for getting the day started. But what kind of fuel is it? It’s the fuel of anxiety, of stress over how much there is to do. It’s the fuel of depression about how impossible this life is and how challenging the coming day is likely to be. It’s the fuel of self-absorption and anticipation – the fuel of fear that you won’t be able to handle what life will place in your path today.
Is this the fuel you want to use to get yourself going this morning?
An alternative is to use those first few moments . . .
of awareness mindfully, in a way that anchors you right in the present moment of your life. I discovered this after spending too many mornings going through the script I described above. Then one morning I realized that everything that was going on in my mind had nothing to do with the present moment of my life. So I lied in bed and simply tried to notice the truth of my life and found that I was not only more mindful, but the experience naturally stimulated a sense of gratitude and appreciation. This practice became a marriage between mindfulness and Naikan, a method of self-reflection which originated in Japan. Here’s an example of the flow of my attention as I practice this “first awareness of the morning”:
I’m lying next to my beautiful, sleeping wife and enjoying the warmth emanating from her body.
The temperature outside is chilly, but I’m kept warm by this cozy, thick blanket and the furnace and fuel in the basement of this house.
My two sweet daughters, the blessings of my life, are sleeping quietly in the next room.
My sweet dog Barley, our family’s Golden Retriever, is sleeping quietly on his little futon next to my bed. I reach over the bed and caress his soft coat. I feel the quality of this softness against my fingers, the first awareness I have of my sense of touch today.
I wiggle my toes and they all work fine. I stretch and jiggle my fingers and they all work fine.
I am safe, and my safety has been preserved throughout the night even though I slept and had no awareness of my surroundings.
My eyes have now adjusted to the dim light. I can still see. I am able to begin the day by seeing the extraordinary colors and shapes of the room that surround me.
I take a deep breath and my lungs fill themselves with air. My body has been doing this for me all night without my conscious help and now, for a moment, I take the lead and bring my attention to this amazing process of breathing which sustains my body and spirit.
I listen. For a moment there is complete silence. I listen to the silence. What a gift that silence is. Then I hear a sound – a bird, perhaps a crow. Now more crow sounds. I can hear. There is life outside my home. The world is waking up. I can hear the world waking up. What a gift it is to hear the sounds of the world.
I squeeze my pillow against my cheek. I’m tempted to stay here longer in this warm, cozy little cocoon. It takes a moment of will, a moment of determination to abandon this warmth and safety and venture into the world.
My mind is yearning to make its to-do list – to remind me of all the details, tasks and work that awaits me. I will make that list soon. But not now.
First I have to feel the texture of the firm carpet against the soles of my feet as my body emerges stiffly, awkwardly, imperfectly into verticality . . . and I am blessed with the beginning of a new day.
from Thirty Thousand Days: A Journal for Purposeful Living
http://www.todoinstitute.org/30kdays.html
Comments (5)
What a gentle and beautiful reminder to start the day in mindfulness. It was so refreshing and peaceful to read this. I will pay closer attention to starting the day. Thanks again.
I bow to the Buddha within you.
Posted by James | September 29, 2007 2:08 PM
Posted on September 29, 2007 14:08
Thank you James for sharing.
I have started, upon waking of lying quietly and thinking of three small things to be grateful for. Such as the warm water that I will shower with, the vase of tulips in the other room, and the ream of paper in my office which will chronicle my work in the next few days and weeks. Simple gratitudes for small things.
Just before I swing my legs out to get out of the cozy bed I lay on my back and briskly run my body with my hands and fingers to start the blood flowing which brings up the energy thus making the transition to wakefulness complete.
Thank you for you.
Posted by Tim | October 15, 2007 7:39 AM
Posted on October 15, 2007 07:39
What a beautiful way to approach another day of life! Thank you, Greg.
Jay Bender
Posted by Jay Bender | October 15, 2007 9:25 AM
Posted on October 15, 2007 09:25
Thank you, Gregg, for reminding me that I can start my day by focusing on how supported I am in my life.
Posted by Jamey Harris | October 15, 2007 10:32 AM
Posted on October 15, 2007 10:32
Thank you Gregg, for your words. It is so simple and so easily forgotten in the hustle and bustle of life. I'm going to try to start my mornings differently. thank you.
Posted by Penny Owen | November 21, 2007 9:36 AM
Posted on November 21, 2007 09:36