Mindfulness is Part of my Battle Armor

I've been asked repeatedly how I handle the present traumatic physical and financial aspects of my life without crashing into an overwhelming depression.

First, I don't believe any of this is permanent. Like a current of water, it can change for the better.

I have also practiced meditation and mindfulness for years. My practice is even stronger now, and mindfulness carries me through many painful and or stressful situations.

A trendy word to many, mindfulness is not hard to establish in your life, if interested.

How?

Thich Nhat Hahn, a Zen Buddhist monk I greatly respect, explains it best.

'Take the time to eat an orange in mindfulness.

If you eat an orange in forgetfulness, caught in your anxiety and sorrow, the orange is not really there. But if you bring your mind and body together to produce true presence, you can see that the orange is a miracle.

Peel the orange.

Smell the fruit. See the orange blossoms in the orange, and the rain and the sun that have gone through the orange blossoms. The orange tree has taken several months to bring this wonder to you.

Put a section in your mouth, close your mouth mindfully, and with mindfulness feel the juice coming out of the orange. Taste the sweetness.

Do you have the time to do so?

If you think you don't have time to eat an orange like this, what are you using that time for?

Are you using your time to worry, or using your time to live?'

In short, I chose to live.

Wouldn't you?