BOOKENDS OF THE NIGHT
Thursday Aug. 30, 2018
Waking up – those first few minutes, seem so magical and predictive of what kind of day I’ll have. I suspect this notion is common. I have no scientific evidence it is valid, but I believe it is.
And maybe ‘believing it’ is part of the formula, but I digress …
When I wake with a refreshed body and a positive attitude, look out – I’m going to have a great day.
But if I wake up without good rest, without my head in a good place, I might as well stay in bed. Most readers will say, “so, what’s so unique about that?”, because we all feel we sort of know and understand that …
But what if we could impact that morning mood dynamic with a couple of techniques to makes sure we get the rest AND get up with that energetic attitude too?
I think we can. The first part is the sleep. It needs to be ‘enough’ in terms of hours spent in bed, but it also needs to be good quality rest. Some of that is ‘dark quiet room stuff’ but before that too, that preparing for bed time. In part, a mental preparation for the following day. Positive thought and preparation for the following day. The bookend to that is ‘what we spend a few minutes thinking about before we get out of bed’, which sets the stage for where our mind goes when we wake …
Reader feedback:
JUST A GUESS
Being grateful for waking up every day and being able to carry forward is what everyone hopes for. Living in the moment because nothing is guaranteed, MJ, Calgary, AB
Hi Mark, I can’t help but think there is a ten-day Vipassana silent meditation course in your future. You certainly think along the same wave lengths as the Buddha. It’s all a guess. Everything changes. Nothing is permanent. (But you don’t have to be Buddhist, or anything for that matter, to learn Vipassana. It is non-sectarian). www.karuna.dhamma.org – we have an open house on October 13 – it’s a bit of a drive (Youngstown, AB), but you can make a day of it and visit the Tyrell Museum – a great way to put getting older into perspective, JS, Calgary, AB
LESS TIME THAN EVER
Good Morning Mark - this muse rings so true to me and is like you have been reading my mind. Time does run out but with solid effort anyone can make the most of it. In my life September has always been like the start of a new year. I find the Fall invigorating and with the past year as it has been, I am looking forward to some fresh beginnings. I plan on making the remainder of 2018 way better than the start. Your recent musings have been very thought provoking - keep it up! Have a great Labour Day long and I hope you can get some R&R in, MK, Calgary, AB
