Midlife Manifesto by Jane Mathews

Author:Jane Mathews
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
Published: 2016-01-05T16:00:00+00:00

Most of us think, “Once I’ve done this or that, then X or Y will happen.” Meanwhile, your present life is passing you by. If this is where you are—right here, right now—then this is obviously where life wants you to be. Are you overlooking positive aspects right in front of your nose? Think of your life more like a series of photographs rather than a film. Make sure each photo is worthy of you. Claim the moment. Caroline Myss, a spiritual teacher from the United States, contends that many people are trying to lead lives that don’t belong to them. All we really want is to be in love with the life we have where everything we do counts.

• Mindfulness

“Living in the present’s” first cousin. Our attention is constantly being fractured into slivers, like an apple being sliced on a mandoline. I even find it hard to remember when I last actually concentrated on one thing and one thing only. Not a good thing, and certainly a contributor to stress. It is clear that the concept of mindfulness is gaining traction with the number of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teachers growing like Topsy in the United States. In MBSR classes, the students have to hand over their technology, and just concentrate on one thing—eating one raisin very, very slowly; or walking mindfully, feeling how their feet feel on the ground. Combined with mindful meditation, the students report wonderful results. It is certainly an antidote to our constant multitasking and looking at screens every second of the day. Have a look at the free Headspace app for starters.

These quotations capture the meaning of mindfulness better than anything I could ever write. Find the one that resonates best with you:

“We're so busy watching out for what's just ahead of us that we don't take time to enjoy where we are.” Bill Watterson

“You’re cheating yourself out of today. Today is calling to you, trying to get your attention, but you’re stuck on tomorrow, and today trickles away like water down a drain. You wake up the next morning and that today you wasted is gone forever. It’s now yesterday. Some of those moments may have had wonderful things in store for you, but now you’ll never know.” Jerry Spinelli

“The future is made of the same stuff as the present.” Simone Weil

“The past is behind, learn from it. The future is ahead, prepare for it. The present is here, live it.” Thomas S. Monson

“Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone; and do not be troubled about the future, for it has yet to come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.” Ida Scott Taylor

“It is when you are really living in the present, working, thinking, lost, absorbed in something you care about very much, that you are living spiritually.” Barbara Ueland

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