Extra Weight No Longer Needed......

"We can get rid of the sand bags in back......the extra weight is no longer needed", my partner said this morning as we were driving down the highway. It was true. Spring is here and we don't need the sands bags (for better rear traction) again till next year. Yeah!!!

His comment got me thinking. Boy, we humans do tend to hang on to a lot of 'extra' stuff......both figuratively and literally. Speaking for myself, I know I have tended over the years to hang on to past experiences and bring them along with me to the present. And I wondered why my 'present' was getting cluttered and full of unneeded junk. We all do it and have our own techniques/ways of dealing with the clutter.

Recognizing that we are carrying around a lot of unnecessary stuff is the first step....at least it was for me a few years back. Life can get pretty complicated with all its demands if we do not deal with it openly and honestly. I had to. I started to read books about living in the present and 'letting go' of the past. Learning some things from the past is about all that the past is worth.....certainly not bringing it into the present to clutter and complicate what we are experiencing RIGHT NOW.

Another and more effective way, for me, was to learn to meditate. Off I went to the local Buddhist temple to learn the technique of just 'sitting' and focusing on the breath. It all seemed to be a very easy thing to do. I did learn that it took a lot of patience and determination to just sit and try to free the mind of all its passing thoughts.

After a while, a few months maybe, I began to see/feel the benefits of meditating every morning before I did anything. This practice allowed me to approach the day, and all of its demands, with more calmness. I noticed that when I did something in this manner, I was more focused on what was happening at the moment.....in the present.

When we are feeling good and things are going in a positive direction, we tend to get back into our old habits ......... at least I do. We forget about the clutter and begin 'build up' again. That is precisely why I find it very necessary to meditate .....even when things are going well. Because I tend to accumulate a lot of unnecessary crap, I find it very helpful to just 'sit' for ten minutes every morning. It works for me.

A friend of ours said that praying works for her. It relaxes and focuses. One yoga instructor taught the class how to meditate through walking. There are lots of ways....you just have to find what works for you. We are planning to take Qi Gong healing meditation in a couple of weeks....should be interesting.

Since we got our dog,Sophie, three years ago, we have observed that they (dogs) live in the present ALL THE TIME. Just watch them and see how intense they can be when doing anything. We can all learn from them and focus on what we are doing at the moment and leaving all else, the past and the future, aside.