So here I am, back to the blog after a full calendar year, ready to reflect on the wonder of walking wordlessly a while for wellness, without wasting energy worrying about WordPress work (Ha!).

I have always loved language.  Reading and writing have been passions of mine for as long as I can remember, enabling me to feel a connection with my fellow humans through linguistic expression.  This is why I felt that blogging about my ideas regarding mindful living, seemed like a real no-brainer. I could marry two of my passions in a purposeful way and foster a connection with like-minded folks from near and far!

What I learned, however, is that when you write for an audience, or (I hate to admit this one) profit, purpose can become skewed.  Mindfulness is replaced by stress and ego pushes out authenticity. In my quest to learn from and connect with other spiritual seekers, I have come across a handful of mindfulness “professionals” and “teachers” who knew the jargon, could name the gurus, and list the retreats, but who were completely stressed out multitaskers riddled with worry and expectation.

During a year away from writing for and attempting to monetize my blog I learned a few things…

Lesson One  

The most enlightened, mindful people rarely, if ever, talk about enlightenment and mindfulness.  They are people who walk the walk without talking… at all. A friend told me that we are all monkeys and monkey see, monkey do.  Just be sure to choose the right monkey to follow! I’m following the folks I see stopping in front of gardens on their way to work so they can literally stop and smell the roses; the ones who give small children their rapt attention when they are speaking without correcting, giggling, or dismissing; the people who make eye contact, smile, and nod when passing people outside; the people on trains who look out the window as opposed to scrolling through nonsense on their phones.  These are the folks who are truly appreciating life, moment to precious moment.

Lesson Two

We can not underestimate the restorative power of being in nature.  Schools need to realize this. Workplaces need to realize this. EVERYONE needs to realize this.  

Lesson Three

Personalized practice matters.  How you choose to live your best life and become your best self is entirely personal.  I’ve met people who are so preoccupied with the details of meditation, from purchasing the right cushions to sit on, the right music, the right app, even the right incense to align the right type of energy, that the most important part of the practice gets lost.  It’s tough to be mindful with a mind full of meditation merch. For me personally, a mindful walk outdoors is a cure-all during which I can effectively connect with self and source in the present moment.

Now if something in this post struck a chord with you, kindly repost, link, share, like, tweet, and comment so I may maximize traffic to my site!  (Lesson Four – Humor is the spice of life! 🙂