Truth: I did not want to write today. I have a laundry load of work due for my day job, and my boss (me, I work for myself) can get quite anxious about things. This time, I could actually say that that anxiety might be a realistic evaluation of all that needs to get done. So I didn't want to spend any time on me and my writing because I just didn't have any time. We've all heard that before, right?
I also told myself that I couldn't think of anything I wanted to write about. And, for a moment, I believed that was true. Then I heard this tiny voice in the back of my head, “What about that book you just read, The Mindful Twenty-Something?” I had to admit that that was something I had a few thoughts on that I could share.
First off, I'm way out of the twenty-something age range, and yet this book spoke to me. That could speak to my arrested development, but it could also mean that this is one of those books that speaks universal truths. I think both of these ideas could be true. What I loved about this book was that it was both no-nonsense and accessible.
For example, like many people, I would guess, I am a tad resistant to meditation. I never think I'm doing it right. I feel antsy doing it. So, in this book, author Holly B. Rogers has a chapter about meditation where she starts out by saying that many people have asked her if they have to do meditation, and she simply says yes. But then she offers meditation practices that are actually doable. I know because I'm doing them. And she quotes scientific studies that illustrate how helpful meditation can be.
So I jumped on that ship. I am officially on board. I have a practice now, just of a couple of days, and I'm sure it will evolve and change, but it's only twenty minutes out of my day, and I feel that I can already untangle myself faster from unproductive trains of thought. I can focus. I can take a breath and take a step back and make some observations before further engaging in the process. I think it's all good. I would highly recommend this book.