Mindfulness In The Everyday

You know, it’s funny, often times when you set out to do something different or think a different way, life oftentimes gives you opportunities to grow in that area.

Here is what I mean…

As I was preparing for writing this blog post I was intentionally trying to pay attention to ways that I am mindful in the day to day that way I could give you some tips or suggestions that you could easily apply.

Instead of just noticing what I normally do, life gave me a few new opportunities to be intentional about how I react to situations.

Let me preface this by saying that being mindful isn’t about living in a state of bliss all the time. It is about being intentional with the way that you chose to think, act, or feel. I am so thankful that this is the case because as a wife, mother of a soon to be two year old boy, 37 weeks pregnant with another little boy and dog mom to two rescue fur babies, I am definitely not living in a continual state of bliss.

The thing is, choosing to be mindful in unexpected situations is one of the most empowering things I can think of.

Let me tell you a little bit about my day today.

My son has transitioned to a toddler bed within the past week and he has been loving the freedom of no longer being confined to a crib. As soon as he wakes up in the morning, he immediately starts playing with anything that catches his eye. Today it was his diaper pail. By the time that I went into his room, he had opened the dirty diaper pail and begun taking diapers out of the pail, pulling out every single diaper and wipe he could possibly reach with his tiny arms. Not only was this incredibly messy but it also was quite smelly to walk into. It was in this moment that I had a choice.

I could get mad at my son and carry a grudge around that would make both of our days miserable or I could clean up the mess and my son (while trying not to gag) and resolve to buy a more child proof diaper pail next time I am at the store.

As much as I wanted to be angry with my son, I realized that he was only being curious and exploring. He wasn’t trying to give Mommy a disgusting morning surprise.

Situation number two you might be able to relate to.

I took my son grocery shopping with me this morning. As I am pulling into the store parking lot I am hoping that there is a parking space close to the front of the store. Being so far along in pregnancy and having to carry in a toddler is no easy feat so I take any chance I get to save a few steps. As I am entering a row, I see it: the most gorgeous parking space ever paved (ok maybe I am being dramatic, but you know the feeling). Before I get there, a teenager in his big truck pulls in and hops out. Grumbling I continue my search. The same scenario happens again only this time it’s the grocery store employee who takes the closest spot to the store. I end up having to park towards the back of the lot. I will admit, I started letting my emotions over get the best of me until I caught myself.

Neither the teenager nor the store employee knew that I was 37 weeks pregnant with a toddler needing a close space. I could not be angry with them for something they didn’t know. For all they knew, I was just another lady driving in the parking lot.

The thing that I have learned is that life so often gives us trying situations but the situations themselves are actually neutral. We are the ones who add the drama and the emotion to the situation.

In both of my situations good ended up coming out of it.

With my son’s messy curiosity came a time of me helping him get cleaned up which turned into him randomly kissing me on the cheek as I was washing his hands.

In the parking situation, as I was finishing unloading my groceries in the car, a store employee happened to be taking all of the used carts back to the store and offered to take my cart back for me so that I wouldn’t have to push it back.

Being mindful is choosing how you are going to react in the situation. Taking the drama out of the situation and simply allowing it. What could seem like a huge problem, could turn into something you are actually very thankful for.

Now we won’t always get this perfect, but I will tell you that as you continue to choose to remain steady through the unexpected it does become easier and you will begin to feel more content rather than constantly riding the waves of the “good’ or the “bad”.

Wishing you all the best on your mindfulness journey in the everyday.

All my love!
Grace 💚