​To Be or Not to Be - in Possibility Time!
 
 October 2017 - Mindful Moments
 
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To Be or Not to Be
 
I was making out my to-do lists for the day, week, and month today when it suddenly occurred to me how much of my time is spent trying to figure out where I’m supposed to be when, doing what, and how it’s all supposed to get done. In The Possibility Path, we call this “Focused Time.” It means we have to put our head down and focus on this linear place and time and what our bodies (and children’s bodies) are supposed to be doing at different points in time.
 
With after school activities, the new high pressure school situations, and life in general, we are torn into all these different places and times, forced to be in Focused Time all the time. It is exhausting.
 
It is exhausting because our bodies are not used to being in Focused Time all the time. There was once a study done that came to the conclusion in a work environment that we only have about 4 hours of focused brain energy a day for paperwork and critical decisions. The rest of the time is spent with busy work, or on Facebook! ;)
 
As a mom in this world today, it’s critical decision time all day, every day. The need to be “On” all the time can wear one down into a meltdown breakdown, anger, or depression. We are not built to be the super women our society expects! We need some down time to recharge and rebuild our energy reserves!
 
Yesterday it was 95 degrees outside, in fall, in Michigan. It was the end of a very long week. I could have gone into Focused Time and spent energy I didn’t have. But instead, I choose to move into what The Possibility Path calls “Possibility Time.” Possibility Time is when we let go of the to do lists and just be. We just walk, dream, do, but without a schedule, without a set agenda, without rules or must have’s to dos.
 
It’s what we mean when we tell kids to “Go out and play.” It not only allows for creativity, but it opens up the relaxation factor of just being who we are. In Possibility Time we just are. We are not trying to be what others’ want. We are not trying to do what we are supposed to do, we just are. We just do.
 
This time is critical for mental health in our world. We live in Focused Time so much we burn out. We melt down. Our kids do the same. They need the time to just unwind and let go. When was the last time your kids had unscheduled time? When was the last time you did?
 
We think in our modern world unscheduled time means lazy or unproductive, when in fact the greatest discoveries, inventions, and ideas come during these Possibility Times when we are able to just be who we are and tap into the possibility of being open and alive in what is, not what the to do list says it should be!
 
Yesterday we choose Possibility Time. We went to the beach. We walked along the channel, ate ice cream, and let our minds wander. We let ourselves dream. I relaxed. I recharged. I let it go. We laughed and were nicer to each other than we had been in weeks. It was exactly what we needed.
 
So today when I started focusing on making my lists, I smiled. Because somewhere in there I realized I needed to pencil in some Possibility Time. Because it is just what I need to make it through the rest of the week!
 
Here’s to the possibilities to come!
 
- Jeannine
 
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JOIN US WEDNESDAY!
Mindfulness Mothers RADIO News - 1st Wed of Month
 
October’s show has been cancelled due to my move to a new home. Please catch the replays of shows you may have missed here:
http://www.mindfulnessmothers.com/radio-show---mindfulness-mothers.html
 
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Missed the show? Catch the replay here!
http://blogtalkradio.com/mindfulnessmothers
www.mindfulnessmothers.com
 
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Join the fun! We are starting a new BIG YEAR doing the 28 Steps to Freedom starting on October 5th. If you are in Mt Pleasant, join the group at Red Bloom. If you aren’t, start your own group or do personal program!
 
Find out more at: www.aworldofpossibility.com
 
 
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Check out new articles this month on MindfulnessMothers.com
Supporting the amazing women who do the toughest job of caring for our most precious with balance and serenity.
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If at anytime you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please shoot a quick email to mindfulnessmothers@gmail.com or jeannine_proulx@yahoo.com
 
Aloha and much love as you continue on your day! Thanks for all your support of the mothers and children in this amazing world.
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www.mindfulnessmothers.com
 
 
 

September 2017 - Mindful Moments
 
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Look for the Helpers
 
“When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, "Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.”
― Mr Fred Rogers
 
It’s back to school time again and as many of us are facing the challenges of heading back into the storm of school time others in America and across the world are dealing with storms from Mother Nature. This quote from Mr Rogers is always my favorite during times of change or crisis. Whether it is at school dealing with bullying a new kid or in the middle of 15 feet of flooded water, the helpers arrive.
 
The helpers might not look like what we think they will look like. They might not wear super hero capes. (Although I personally love the Coast Guard’s uniforms ;)  They might not be people we would ever talk to at any other time in our lives. They might be people we used to think were mean or people we didn’t like. We never know who the helpers are or when they will show up. But during times of hurt, of pain, of loss, of crisis, the helpers show their faces and their hearts.
 
We have a choice if we wish to be a helper. So often we believe helping means big amazing things, because that’s what makes it on the news, right? But every day there are helpers.
 
The man who helped open the door for me at the store today was a helper. The grandmother watching her grandkids so the parents can work is a helper. The child who goes and sits next to another child at the empty lunch table is a helper. Each of these moments is important. Each moment counts. Each moment ripples.
 
I remember in high school hearing an urban legend about a teen who was contemplating taking his own life. On the way home from school a woman walked past him, looked him in the eye, and smiled. He is reported to have said that that one smile changed his mind. He did not take his own life. His faith in humanity restored because one person saw him. True or not, I know there have been people in my life who have smiled at me, even during times when I was contemplating taking my own life. They smiled. They saw me. They changed my life. I am alive today because of them.
 
Do not discount the small help you give people each and every day. The love you give to your family helps. The patience you show your children, even the compassion you can give yourself as we enter this time of transition and intense emotions does help!
 
We are all helpers. We are all in need of help. It’s a give and take every day. Sometimes it just needs to take a drastic storm to make us realize it, but every day there are helpers.
 
Thanks for all you do for your children, your family, and the world. It does matter. You do matter. And it does help!!
 
And if you feel compelled to help those in Houston and across the state of Texas I have been honored to be a part of the Hug Alliance formed from heart centered businesses. We have been contacted from teachers needing help for Houston with books, supplies, and necessitates for families affected. The info is below.
 
With love and HUGS! ~Jeannine
 
Help for Houston
I have been asked through the Hug Alliance Mindfulness Mothers is proud to be a part of for some Help for Houston schools, teachers, kids, and families with necessities and teddy bears. If you feel inspired to help, please do so!
 
They have started a fundraiser organization called TX STRONG through our partners at Give More Hugs. Feel free to encourage your kids or their school to adopt a Houston school, whatever you want to do. We are all in this together and the little gifts do matter. #hugitforward #HugsforHouston
 
www.givemorehugs.org/tx-strong
 
 
If you can help, please do! Houston teachers have reached out to the Hug Consortium (of which Mindfulness Mothers is proud to be a part of) to help.
 
You can do so here: www.givemorehugs.org/tx-strong
​

August 2017 - Mindful Moments
As Los Angeles in America is in the finals to be an Olympic host hits the news today I found this blog post I wrote while watching another Olympic year go by. Thinking of that coincidence, I decided to share it as the Mindful Moment blog this month.
These amazing sport games remind me that it is possible for us as the world to get together and participate in games for sport instead of war. We are a world united during that time. Here’s to more of that world peace spirit out into the collective that we are today!
 
Enjoy !
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Going for Gold
 
"That's why I do what I do, to give people the opportunity to see the world in a different way."  - Pete Nelson, Treehouse Masters
 
As I watch the Sochi Olympics I am transported to another world, a world of athletes, a world of ice, a world where the day to day is completely filled with the focused goal of gold. I see the athletes. This is their day. This is their moment. Their whole lives have lead up to this place, right here, right now. You can feel the intensity. It is almost solid in it's form.
 
These are not the drop of the hat, let's do this on a whim, athletes. The Olympians have been training for these days since childhood. Their families have sacrificed, their siblings supported and sacrificed.  Some have moved to different cities with their whole families just to train with certain coaches or in certain programs. Some have moved on their own without their families. They have gone through hell and back more than once through broken bones, defeat, anger and frustration. They have been tested physically, emotionally and mentally. And yet, they fight. And yet, they continue. And yet, they are here, taking the chance to win gold. 
 
It is a unique person who has that drive, that passion, that power within themselves to go all the way. How many of us have anything within us that deep, that intense, that incredible to go through all that for a goal, for a sport? 
 
If you ask an Olympian what it is that drives them, more often than not, they say they love the sport. Period. They would be doing it even if they weren't going for gold, even if no one was watching, even if they could never win anything, they would still be skiing, still be snow boarding, figure skating, luging, playing hockey and all the other wondrous winter sports. They do it because they love it. Period. Sometimes when you love something that much, you want to do the best and you shoot for gold. Sometimes you win. Sometimes you don't. You know what keeps them going? Playing again. Getting back in the skies, back in the slopes and back on the ice, back to what they love to do. That is what heals the pain.
 
Out of all the things that exist in my life, creativity, writing, art, design, music, poetry, photography keep me going. I may be shooting right now for my own kind of Gold, but even if there is no medal at the end, no one cheering me on or the podium in my future, I will still write. I will still create. I will still sing. I will still paint. I will still do what it is I love to do. That, I believe, is the greatest prize of all. 
 
What is it in your life you would do, no matter what? What brings you the most joy, fulfillment, satisfaction in life? 
 
We are all our own athletes on this journey of life. We all have a drive to do something, an interest in something. What is your sport? What is your love? What is your gold?
 
Thankful to have you here to play with me! May we race together, cheering each other on every step of the way. 
 
With love ~Jeannine
 
 
Copyright © 2014 Jeannine Proulx, All rights reserved.
 
 
All my love - Jeannine

 

July 2017 - Mindful Moments
The Illusion of Perfection
 
Our theme this month at Mindfulness Mothers is Summer, but several mothers have inspired me to write on something that affects all women all year round: perfectionism.
 
The meanie mom society we live in is not kept to movies and TV shows, we are often our own worst bully, saying things to ourselves which we would never say to another person. It all starts with expectations.
 
Our expectations of ourselves starts young. “Cross your legs and sit like a lady.”
“Grow up. Women don’t act that way. What are you, a tomboy?”
“Don’t you want to be a pretty girl? The boys will like you if you are a pretty girl.”
 
The brainwashing begins from young ages as to what it means to be a woman, a mother, a wife, a sister, a friend, a person in the world who happens to have a bit more estrogen than testosterone. We then alter our behavior to match those expectations. We dress the way we are told to dress to fit into society. We do what we are supposed to do, based on what others guilt, shame, or coerce us into doing. We consciously or unconsciously adjust who we are based on these expectations, which we then take on as our own.
 
When we don’t meet those expectations, we are disappointed, we are angry, we are upset with ourselves. We bully ourselves into conforming. We shame ourselves into submitting. We guilt ourselves into surrender. And before you know it, we are becoming who others want us to be, not who we are.
 
We are human beings. We are human! There is no such thing as a perfect human that acts the exact way others want them to act. That’s called a robot. We are not robots. We are humans. We are perfectly imperfect in these crazy insanely alive bodies that act all sorts of different ways and do all sorts of different things. These are things we cannot control! These are things we cannot change. These are things often we cannot heal, we cannot fix, we cannot make better - for ourselves or our children, our spouses, our loved ones.
 
This is an imperfect world and we walk it in imperfect bodies.
 
But once we can accept that, we relax a bit more. And when you are dealing with motherhood, family, relationships, or even just work and life- that helps. That helps!
 
It helps to take a breath and accept that this body, this world is imperfect! We are imperfect. We will never be what we want to be exactly because perfectionism is just an unobtainable goal to keep us striving. Once we accept imperfection, we can relax a bit. We can move into acceptance. And by moving into acceptance, we can move into gratitude for now, for what is. We can move into allowing a new life, a life that may not look like what we want it to look like, that may throw so many curve balls our way it knocks us on our butts, but allows us to be more of who we really are. We can move into just being with what is.
 
And when we do that, life suddenly becomes a little more perfect. Reality becomes perfectly what it is: imperfect. And the illusion of perfection gets washed away in the tears, muddy boot prints running through your kitchen, baby diapers, and slamming doors reality of imperfection.
 
Through this mindful awareness we become kinder to ourselves. We become kinder to our children. We become more open to experiences that might not be what we expect, but can end of being some part of the wonderful multi- faceted life of being a human being, full of ups and downs and ins and outs, joy and grief and wonder and awe.
 
It can become better than an illusion. It can become life.
 
May you know that the person you are is perfect! Just as you are.
 
 
All my love - Jeannine
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JOIN US WEDNESDAY!
*or catch the replay!
Mindfulness Mothers RADIO News - 1st Wed of Month
 
June’s topic is: Sacred Mothering.
Wed July 5th at NOON pm
 
July’s guest is Sunny Chayes. We will be talking Sacred Mothering. Join us!
 
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Missed the show? Catch the replay here!
http://blogtalkradio.com/mindfulnessmothers
 
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NEW ARTICLES!
 
Check out the new articles from our Mindfulness Mothers’ authors!
 
This month:
- The Illusion of Perfection
- Powerful Garden Conversations
- Games to Play with Your Pets!
 
READ THEM HERE!
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SERENITY SUMMER
 
Simplifying the ideas of self care and serenity, these wonderful ideas have manifested into three wonderful ways to find that peace of mind!
- Serenity Sessions LIVE!
- A Year of Serenity Online Mindfulness Course (Available one at a time!)
- Personal Serenity Sessions
 
FIND OUT MORE:
http://www.mindfulnessmothers.com/serenity-self-care-sessions.html
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​June 2017 - Mindful Moments
BEAUTY-FULL!  
 
Right after the tragedy of 9/11 in America I was walking along the Lake Michigan beach near where I live and soaking up the water, the waves, the grey skies, and clean air. It occurred to me that after all the stress I had been experiencing with the sudden loss and changes in our world, I was instantly at peace here alone with nature.
 
I wrote a poem about that experience, coming to the conclusion: “Maybe we should all spend more time with the waves.”
 
Ever since then I have been very conscious that the beauty and peace of nature can de-stress me like nothing else. It allows me to just be in a world full of do. It allows me to soar high in a world pushing me down. It allows me to breathe in a world where I hold my breath. It allows me to let it all go, and let the beauty of its natural being in.
 
In wide open nature there is nothing to clean, nothing to fix, nothing to do or undo. The dead oak tree is growing new life. The maple knows when to turn its leaves red without me having to say so. The water flows with the wind and washes me clean. It does not need me to do anything but be.
 
I soak it up. I soak it in, and in that moment, I become beautiful.
 
It does not matter what clothes I have on or if my eyeliner is running or if I my breath smells like coffee. It does not judge. It does not care what I look like, who I am, what is my name, or occupation or relationship status or number of Twitter followers. It does not know of my sorrows, my losses, my loves. It does not care. It allows me to just be. And within that freedom, I am beautiful.
 
I am full of beauty.
 
I am full of the beauty of the rain drops on the leaves. I am full of the beauty of the sunshine and the stars. I am full of the beauty of the crescent moon. I am full of the beauty of the white clouds and the red mountains. I am full of the beauty of the fresh and salt water, the blue and the red bird, the osprey and the eagle.
 
In a single, instant moment, I soak it in and I fill up. I fill up on the beauty. It gives me energy. It gives me serenity. It gives me joy. It gives me life!
 
What gives you that feeling? What allows you to just be, to just be who you are? What gives you freedom to just dance with the being of you, beautiful in all the ways you are?
 
Today I will become more conscious of what gives me that feeling of life and what takes it away, and yes. I will promise myself to spend more time with the waves.
 
For when we are in a better space, the world is a better place. It has been my motto for twenty years. If I want peace on earth, it begins within. Let it begin with me. And for me? That means nature. That means letting in more beauty.
 
Thank you for being the beautiful people in my life! Here’s to the waves and the wind and the sun and the sane. Happy start to summer!
 
All my love - Jeannine

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​Everyday is Mother’s Day!
 
There is a moment in every mother’s life when they realize that Motherhood is a 24/7 365 day a year job. It could be when you are up at 3 am for the third night in a row with a teething baby, the time you have to cut a business trip short to run home to field car pool from a neighbor who flaked out, or the moment your child becomes a mother themselves and you realize they will always be your little baby. Parenting is the toughest job there is. There are no days off. There is no real time away. Once you are devoted, once you are in love, once you are there, you are there.
 
Out tendency as caregivers is to give. We give it all. We give whatever is needed at the moment it is needed, but that often that means we forget to give to the one person who is giving the most: ourselves.
 
Chronic fatigue, exhaustion, feelings of being overwhelmed, and even depression can set in when we forget to give to ourselves. If we never fill up our own cups, we run on empty and have nothing left to give.
 
Self care is defined as any way in which we care for our selves. Be it physical: eating, sleeping, exercise, meditation, or emotional: love, creativity, connection, relationships, we need to take care of this body, mind, and spirit that we have been given in order to survive and thrive in life.
 
Knowing what our needs are in order to take care of our selves is the first step. Some people can handle only getting five hours of sleep a night. Some people can’t function without eight to ten. Some people are morning people. Some people are night owls. Some need to eat every two hours or they get light headed. Some can go for a day without even thinking about eating and then eat dinner for an hour straight.
 
Knowing what your body’s need are and who you are as a person means you can learn to adjust the constant demands of parenting with a bit more energy to meet those demands!
 
Mindfulness is being present in the moment to the needs we have each given moment. Are you feeling light headed before your child’s baseball game? Mindfulness means becoming aware. Did you eat? Keeping a snack in the car for Mom and not just for kids for those hangry moments is good self care!
 
Do you dread the morning chaos and can barely function at all? Accept that you aren’t a morning person and set up breakfast, clothes, backpacks, and everything you need for the next day the night before. Know yourself and your needs and adjusting your life around it is good self care!
 
MindfulnessMothers.com is creating Self Care Kits that you can do alone or with friends to learn some simple Mindfulness techniques that will fine tune those mindfulness muscles and fill up your cup so that you have the energy to face the demands of parenting. For as we all know, every day is Mother’s Day!
 
Learn what your needs are using the Feel Stress Free app to keep track of your moods and needs. It’s great way to keep track and give you tools like mindfulness and meditation to fill up your cup daily!
 
*In honor of Mother’s Day, Feel Stress Free is offering you a complimentary try it out coupon code! Go to App Store and type in Feel Stress Free and use code: FSFMAY300417
code FSFMAY300417
 
Celebrate you, your mom, your spouse, and your friends and be mindful of the needs and care we all have to be our best in this world!  
 
- Jeannine Proulx

April 2017 - Mindful Moments Newsletter  
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Creativity Success
Life as a creative person is interesting. Last week I wrote a children’s book 30 seconds after waking up, or rather in-between waking up and sleeping. I get my best ideas while walking outside or in the shower and often trips to the grocery store have stops on the way to record a new idea or project I am working on. There is no off button the creative mind that has always been mine. This has been a gift and a difficulty.
 
For those who are not creative, life is linear. Success can be defined in monetary or measurable ways. Promotions are met with titles and raises, bonuses and pats on the head from superiors. But to Creatives, the path is not linear. There are no weekends off, no vacations, and no paid leave. We are always on. Because being creative is not something we do, it is something we are.
 
I grew up with musicians. They live to play. They play to live. It is in the DNA. Once my 7 year old niece was asked why she walked around singing all the time. Her reply was “That’s just what we do in this house.”
 
Right now it is midnight. My husband has gone to bed. The neighbors have gone to sleep. I am up, writing, singing, and creating. It’s just what I do. It’s not because I will get paid. (Although I tell myself that it will lead to something bigger.) It’s not because I have a boss telling me to do it. (I am my own boss.)  It’s not even because I wish to inspire, support, or share my insights with others. (Though that is exactly what I’m doing here now.) It’s because without it I get angry, I get irritated, I get annoyed by everything in life. Without it I feel like a volcano rising up within me and spewing on whomever is nearby hot lava.
 
With it? With it I’m more a beautiful ocean, different every day, and just as amazingly intricate. With it, I’m just me.
 
So when I have days when I put everything I have into a project and it doesn’t turn out the way I want it to, or I am not able to make the money I need at that time from a project or to create the one I want, and I wish for a day job, I remember. I remember that even if I had a linear 9 to 5, I’d still have to create. I’d still have to play. I’d still have to sing. Making it a career just gives me more time in my day to dream.
 
If you have a child or are you yourself creative, remember to go easy on what the idea or definition of success looks like.
 
There once was a meme I saw where it had on one side a graph line going straight up with the caption: “This is what success looks like.” and on the other side: “This is really what success looks like.” It was a messy ball of curved lines going every which way and gradually moving upwards.
 
I am a beautiful messy ball of curves going every which way. Sometimes that is a little messy. Sometimes it is more beautiful. But each and every day I am making my way, doing what I must do so I am more beautiful than mess. And that? That to me is success.
 
What is your definition of success?
 
Come tell us on our Facebook Group and join the community!
* Welcome even if you don’t have kids!! It takes a tribe and your support means everything.
 
All my love - Jeannine
 
*And if you want to support a musician who has been working many hours each day since he was 5 years old to be the best he can be (I have proof he worked that hard, I was there!) join the ArtistShare for my brother John Proulx, jazz man and all around great dad! Working it to support a family and shine the light on some amazingly relaxing and uplifting tunes! Share the artist experience with your kids to show, it isn’t magic, it’s passion and hard word! ;)
 
You can hear him practicing with Melissa Manchester on the song they co-wrote for this project here: http://www.artistshare.com/v4/projects/experience/?artistID=356&projectId=487
 
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APRIL NEWS  ***** Self Care Kits available starting in May. Special Edition Huggable Kit will be at the LA Hug Mob April 1st! Find out more on MindfulnessMothers.com
 
And join in the Hug fun at: www.thehugmob.com
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JOIN US THURSDAY!!!
*or catch the replay!
Mindfulness Mothers RADIO News - 1st Wed of Month at 1- 1:30pm est
**This month it’s on a Thursday! J
 
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/mindfulnessmothers/2017/04/06/the-power-of-pets--how-animals-enrich-our-familys-lives
 
April’s s topic is: The Power of Pets with Jeanna Billings!
With host: Jeannine Proulx
 
April’s guest is resident Mindfulness Mothers animal expert and all around amazing pet guru, Jeanna Billings! Come learn about how pets enrich the lives of families, with tips on behavior, eating, care, animal communication, and more!
 
Jeanna Billings is an Animal Communicator serving an international clientele, a Reiki Master and a Certified Crystal Healer.  She volunteered for many years with humane societies and animal rescues, serving as a Board Director, Adoption Counselor and Humane Educator.  She currently teaches animal communication classes and provides private consultations.  She lives in Indiana with her husband, three dachshunds, two cats and a very chatty parakeet. You can find her online at www.ShamansSpirit.net
 
Her Critter Corner can be found on MindfulnessMothers.com!
 
Come join in the conversation, ask questions, and meet friends in the chat room!
 
Missed the show? Catch the replay here!
www.mindfulnessmothers.com
 
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The NEW Self Care Kits are in the making - Huggable Care Kits now featured in Hug Mobs!! The first Hug Mob LA wonderfully featured Saturday April 1st!
 
Check out the new look to the website for availability to get your peace of mind moment!
 
www.mindfulnessmothers.com
_________________________________________
 
 
Supporting the amazing women who do the toughest job of caring for our most precious with balance and serenity.
 
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* By signing up on MindfulnessMothers.com you receive Mindful Moments once a month!
 
If at anytime you do not wish to receive this newsletter, please shoot a quick email to mindfulnessmothers@gmail.com or jeannine_proulx@yahoo.com
 
Aloha and much love as you continue on your day! Thanks for all your support of the mothers and children in this amazing world.
_________________________________________
 
 
www.mindfulnessmothers.com
 
 
 

February 2017 - Mindful Moments
 
Since Nov 18th 2016 we here in West Michigan have not had one complete full day of clear sunshine. In fact, it has been weeks since we have had any sunshine at all. The placement of our lovely fresh water ocean like lake takes the freezing air from Canada down across its “warm” 40 degree water and produces clouds that encapsulate us in a gray that becomes winter.
 
It is this gray that prompted me to sell everything I owned except 3 suitcases of clothes and a computer, and get on a plane for 13 hours to go live on a volcano island in the middle of a gigantic ocean without knowing one person or anything about that said island a few years back. Turns out I don’t like heat. Or islands. So back to the mitten I came!
 
I thought I was prepared for the gray. Oh, how short memories are!
 
West Michigan is, in fact, the cloudiness place on earth if you believe the Facebook meme many of my friends are passing around. I do believe them. Needless to say this cloudy weather can get tedious. It can get claustrophobic. It can feel as though hibernation is the only option.
 
But tonight as I went out to put out the trash in the 25 degree cold I saw what I thought was a star. (It was an airplane.;) It was just enough to make me stop for a moment and look around this white and grey landscape I call home. I decided to not let the grey stop me from doing what I loved. I decided to go for a walk.
 
The silence of the neighborhood with only one dog occasionally barking was eerily beautiful. Everyone tucked all cozy in their homes, the lights glowing out from the windows. I could hear the crunch of my feet on the icy walk where one neighbor had plowed a path all along the cul-de-sac. I walked in silent gratitude for his generosity.
 
I began to feel my feet hitting the ground as I lifted them out of the snow. Up and down they went, my muscles tightening and stretching in joy after sitting in the house so long all day working on a laptop. The air smelled like Christmas, clean and crisp and bright. I could feel the life coming back into me with each step I took. I knew the endorphins were kicking in my brain, the oxygen pumping in my blood. For a moment I understood the obsession with running that everyone else but me seems to have. But I did not run. No. I walked.
 
I walked and walked, my usual summer route, and then I walked some more. No one about. The silence calm and clear. I was me. I was here. And it was wonderful.
 
And in that moment there when I began to play, see the sparkles of the snow under the streetlight dance about, the flakes jumping when my feet hit them, I realized I was practicing mindfulness. I was like a child, just experiencing life.
 
I was not trying to fix. I was not wishing I was somewhere else. I was not longing for warmer weather. I was not inside hiding from it. I was just experiencing it.
 
It was fulfilling. It was thrilling. And it reminded me that this is what is really important in my life. There will always be more books to write, kits to create, projects to work on, people to see, and things to do. There will always be a crisis of one kind or another in the world, in the family, in life. But this? These moments? These moments give me life.
 
I will not vow to go and do it again tomorrow that would take away the precious of now. But I will tuck that memory away and remind myself as often as I can to make time for these tiny mindful moments, in whatever form they come, even if it’s in the middle of the gray and cold of winter.
 
May you find your mindful moment today and may it fill you up in ways words cannot describe.
 
All my love - Jeannine
 
*Yes. I am aware I used grey and gray for spelling the murky color between white and black, which is in fact also a feeling. I take poetic license to do both as I have lived in this color for much of my life and feel both deserve equal footing! ;) 
 
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I love to hike through the woods.  Hiking a very small section of the Appalachian Trail with my husband forced me to be where I was or I would have tripped on stones or fallen off the side of a cliff.  Playing sports, creating art, or playing music engages our senses to the point where we have to be there or suffer the consequences.  Recently, I came across a book entitled “A Sketch & a Prayer,” by Mike “Sketch” Wurman.  Mike is a section hiker on the AT and has written two books which include his own pencil drawings and photos of his AT experience.  While hiking, he ran into a man who’s trail name was “Redlocks”.  Redlocks is a thru-hiker, a different breed.  He sleeps in a hammock and plays guitar on the trail.  He is quoted as saying, “You just have to take the moment.”
 
What activity do you engage in that helps you “take the moment”?
 
I like that phrase, “take the moment”.  Often, we want to by-pass the moment, having it move forward as quickly as possible, without really feeling it. Feeling or “taking the moment” can be difficult and painful. In the technology era, we can become so distracted that we just miss moments.  Parts of our lives pass us by, without us even experiencing them.  We miss sunsets, song birds, and smiles.  We use technology to escape from our feelings and emotions, even the “good” ones.
 
Walking in nature or practicing yoga are two activities I use to be in the moment.
 
When we lack connection to breathe, body, and spirit, we become dis-eased.  Dis-ease or uneasiness correlates the feelings of anxiety and can lead to depression.  Life is intense.  The more we engage technology or even life itself, the pressure increases, as we process all the incoming stimuli.  Overwhelming feelings take over like a storm across the clear blue sky.  These clouds are passing.  Instead of trying to defend against them, hide from them, or collect the released water, it may be best to just let the rain fall and get wet.  Then we can dry off and move forward.  If not, we just stay wet.         
 
“Wherever You are Be There," starts with mindfulness.  Last month I started a class called Mindfulness Fundamentals, through Mindful Schools.
Mindfulness is about attention and awareness.  It is not concentration, a focus on one thing, but rather recognition of your thoughts as they flow through your mind, acknowledging or thanking them, and then bringing your attention back to the moment at hand.  You are only responsible for the moment. Breath is the starting point. 
 
In times of stress, you have the power to bring mindfulness back to your mind, body, and spirit by being where you are, feeling it, and breathing through it.  This allows space between the chaos.  It allows a moment of pause to silent and calm the inner turmoil and bring your awareness back to the present.  Practice being where you are in order to live life to its fullest potential.
 
Namaste.
 
Susan J. McFarland
December 2016

www.susanjmcfarland.blogspot.com

I normally don't talk about politics in polite company and I respect you as polite company!

However, this election season in America I have read several articles that were entitled "How to Talk to Your Kids about the Election." and I was severely disappointed. I was excited to read those articles. I wanted to share some advice for our Mindfulness parents on what they could tell their children about the stories that are swirling around on the candidates running for office this year and how to handle the many questions I am sure children must have. 

But these articles did not deliver. Instead they were written by parents who understandably talked of how frustrated they were and how hard it was to explain the antics that have gone on during the past year. The consensus was they were basically at a point of throwing their hands up at the thought. 

So, today, I am writing about the election and how you can talk to your kids about politics. 
*This advice can go for any world event, local or otherwise.

The Four Ls: How to Talk to Your Children About the Election

1. Listen. 
Children are smart. Children hear a lot more than we think they do. Even when their eyeballs are glued to a screen, if they hear something of interest, they will listen. It is time we listen to the children. 

Pay attention when they talk to their friends, families, you. What do they say about the world? What do they say about being president? What are their feelings? What words do they use? Be open. Be empathetic. Listen.

In the past week I have heard children talk. The words they use are straight from the news, yet they have begun to claim it as their own. Teaching critical thinking skills comes from allowing our children to question everything, learn for themselves what they feel is true, and then forming their own beliefs from it.

Asking leading questions to spark personal opinion from the child's view can create a better understanding of what is happening with these human beings who are asking for our vote.

"Do you feel this way? Why?"

"If someone said that about you, how would it feel?" 

Asking children about their feelings can help them process what it is they do hear and help them understand. For kids it is like watching their parents fight. It is dis-concerning. It is worrisome to watch adults get in arguments. Children like and need to know that they are being taken care of by adults who do know better. We might not always know better, but we can help them process it by listening to their answers and being open to their feelings. 

2. Limit 
The 24 hour news cycle has created a system in which the same sound bites get played over and over and people ramble on and cause fights just to fill up the hours. Children, especially young children, are very susceptible to the feelings, anger, words, and arguments going on the news. They are also very open and emphatic to your words and feelings and the feelings of their family members. 

They can know the facts, but knowing what is age appropriate is important. A preschooler can know who is running for President, but to be fed fear or anger, worry or angst simply causes undo stress. That is the adult's job and the adult's world. A teenager might have more opinions, but might also be rebellious just because. Knowing what social and emotional development age your child is in allows you to know what is appropriate or not. 

That being said, even asking family members not to discuss or get in heated debates around young children over politics is appropriate. Kids take in much more feelings about issues than the issues themselves. Being aware of what they are seeing, knowing, and exposed to in whatever way you can allows them to be kids. They are kids, after all. Children aren't allowed to vote at 6 years old for a reason. (Can you imagine the candy and toy lobbyists that would create? :)  

3. Lead
Lead by example. This election has brought up massive amounts of fear on both, all, and any sides across the world. My personal take on the process has helped give a few parents narrative for their families, so I will share it here. 

This time of our lives is about bringing things to light. That which has been hidden in the dark for eons is now coming forward. With technology and the internet, we are now in the information age. The information age means that ALL things are brought to light. We are being given a choice to accept or reject those things being brought up. 

Ask yourself. What are you accepting? What are you rejecting? What feelings is it bringing up in you? What is it you are really afraid of? Doing our own personal work to address the personal issues we may have about the changes in our world helps us to be better models and leaders for the children. 

What words do you use when talking about the world today? This election? This world? Even yourself? You do have the power to change the narrative and give your children the chance to do the same. 

4. Let Go
Take a breath. A big one!!! The reason our competitions for leadership are so intense is because being human is an intense job! We as human beings are so diverse and unique. To get one or two to agree on something takes a lot of doing. The world stage is simply a reflection of our inner stage, our local stages, our smaller communities, and the feelings within ourselves. 

Right now it seems to be a time of great intensity. Letting go of that to enjoy just a bit lets the air out of the balloon before it pops! Breathe. Go watch a sunset. Play on the playground. Kick off your shoes and go run on the beach, walk on the lawn, draw on the sidewalk, ride your bikes! Let your teenager stay up late to watch movies together. Enjoy the time with family.

Live your life. 

Living is a difficult journey. Taking time to enjoy the journey, go play, relax, and unwind is an important part of the journey! It makes it worth living. No guilt, and no politics allowed!

Oh! And one more:

5. LOVE! 
Love is the foundation of family. It is the foundation of life. Knowing no matter the politics of others, the disagreements we have with others, that at the bottom of it all there is still and will always be love? That's a lesson to live by.

May love find its way to you today as we go through the next three weeks and the years to come. Let it be the foundation of your home and you can handle anything, even an American election. 

With all my love ~ Jeannine


Jeannine Proulx
Founder and contributor: MindfulnessMothers.com