On Mindfulness and Being Connected

Hi all,
We had a great meeting this past Sunday...Our guest speaker, Dr. Cathy Roberts, led us in a very interesting conversation about being connected and present in the moment, with our bodies, with ourselves...before we can even get to the point of genuinely connecting with others...

Mindfulness is paying attention in a very particular way: on purpose, in the present moment and non-judgmentally....fully appreciating and experiencing the moment for what it is, without judgment...

For me, having suffered from an eating disorder and chronic anxiety, I remember constantly judging myself and living "inside my head" like we talked about during our last meeting...disconnected from my body, from what I needed and wanted, from the desires of my heart, from the experience of life...it is so important to practice being still, living in the moment, and being kind to ourselves....

We also talked about how being in recovery does not mean we are never going to stumble or go through hard times, because we all do, that's life...... The difference is that, when we go through hard times and start to fall back into negative behaviors and ways of being, we have the hope, faith, knowledge, tools, experiences and support system to help us get back up and keep on going...stronger than before!

For the next two weeks, experiment and enjoy taking care of yourself, nurturing yourself, staying connected, in the moment, and changing your focus from the negative, to the positive...

Below is the poem we used to close the meeting. Thanks to the folks at http://www.myedhelp.com/ for this awesome piece.

See you on April 22nd!

Peace, Hope and Love,

Lily


AUTOBIOGRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS
By Portia Nelson

I.
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in
I am lost
I am helpless
...It isn't my fault.
It takes forever to find my way out.

II.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I'm in the same place,
...but, it isn't my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.

III.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in
....it.s a habit.
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.

IV.
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.

V.
I walk down another street.