The Last Monday of March

 The weather people are predicting snow through Wednesday.  So much for the month going out like a lamb.

I can not believe it is already the last week of March.  Time has just been flying lately.  Maybe its a side effect of actually paying attention to everything that is happening.  Mindfulness should come with a warning-- altering your perspective may cause time to warp~*

I think the biggest lesson I got from consciously being more mindful {which is a funny sentence when you think about it} is the impact that it has on life. I am a big multi-tasker.  I like to do a lot of things at once.  But this month I made the decision to really pay attention to what I was doing.  I wouldn't say I didn't multi-task, mind you.  I just paid more attention to what it was I was trying to accomplish, instead of the whirlwind approach I usually take where I zip around like a maniac trying to do everything at once.  When I made the decision to be more mindful, I kind of assumed it would take longer to get things done.  But chore-wise & work-wise,  the difference wasn't as great as I had feared.  I got the same amount done, in roughly the same amount of time as I usually do-- just with a tad more finesse & a lot less anxiety.  Turns out when you focus in on a few things at once instead of taking in the whole picture all the time, the to do list isn't nearly as overwhelming.

There was a huge difference when dealing with people too.  Stopping and listening to what people were saying, focusing on the speaker, thinking about my response before making it-- it was good.  Really good.  Particularly when it came to dealing with the kids.  As it is, we spend a great deal of time together as a family.  We all get up in the morning at the same time.  We hang out while getting breakfast, we wait with the kids while they wait for the bus {Thing 2 has his driver's license, but we don't have his truck road-ready quite yet, so its the bus for a few weeks longer}.  I still arrange my work schedule so I can be home shortly after the bus drops them the kids off.    We are big on making decisions as a family {though, of course, as parents we make the ultimate decision-- it is a weighted democracy lol}.  We all talk all the time about everything.  

But its easy to get caught up in the whirlwind.  To listen while writing emails, to respond while doing dishes-- to give everything a little bit of attention in an effort to do it all.  You know how it is.  

This mindful month, I made a concerted effort to stop whatever I was doing when the kids were talking & it really was awesome.  Don't get any big dramatic visions now, its not like paying attention meant that every conversation was deadly serious.  My style of parenting has always been rather laid back--   we don't go in much for drama, & I think that's why the kids really do talk about everything with us-- they know that no matter what it is, there won't be any big scenes, & we are going to discuss, not dictate.  Heck it must be working, my kids are awesome, active, A/B students with great senses of humor and no social issues~*

Anyway.

Being mindful just meant giving them my full attention, whatever they were talking about.  And it was cool.  

Conclusion?  Mindfulness is good.  Now if I can just remember to keep doing it.

Next week will be a new monthly theme for quotations & life.  I'm really enjoying these themes.  They are a great way, well, to help me focus in on things I'd like to improve in myself.  You are all welcome to join in the journey!

Have a spectacular glory of a Monday!