Mind: Friend or Foe?

Your mind has a funny way of working with you or against you. I will use my friend “Jenny” as an example. Dear sweet Jenny has quite the vivid imagination. As of recently she is hooked on making assumptions and when it comes to her current relationship her mantra seems to be “guilty until proven innocent”. While I get she has been burned (haven’t we all) and has her reasoning for drawing such conclusions out of thin air, it isn’t exactly the healthiest way to go about it.

My advice to her? I am in a whole different place as far as relationships go, but objectively I don’t think the new guy has done anything that deems him guilty for sins or bad habits the old guy committed. One shouldn’t blame or judge a certain part or situation of their life based on the previous. There is a big difference between learning from experience and blaming based on experience. It doesn’t mean that you cannot enter a new stage of your life with an open mind. Yes, you should be a bit wiser and aware. That’s a given. Yet to let your mind steer you in a negative way as oppose to a new and positive outlook is a big no no. One that will probably result in you making the same mistakes. So while we should all be smart and learn from the mistakes in our past, we also cannot have a preconceived notion that every situation will play out the same. That kind of mentality leads to not taking chances and being open to change.

One Art

The art of losing isn’t hard to master; so many things seem filled with the intent to be lost that their loss is no disaster.

Lose something every day. Accept the fluster off lost door keys, the hour badly spent. The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

Then practice losing farther, losing faster: places, and names, and where it was you meant to travel. None of these will bring disaster.

I lost my mother’s watch. And look! my last, or next-to-last, of three loved houses went. The art of losing isn’t hard to master.

I lost two cities, lovely ones. And, vaster, some realms I owned, two rivers, a continent. I miss them, but it wasn’t a disaster.

—Even losing you (the joking voice, a gesture I love) I shan’t have lied. It’s evident the art of losing’s not too hard to master though it may look like (Write it!) like disaster.

– Elizabeth Bishop

Procrastination or Fear?

Of course, we all have the bad habit of procrastinating (don’t we?). Like in college, starting that lengthy research paper and waiting for the last few days to get started. I think as we get older, the reasoning behind procrastination changes. It isn’t exactly laziness which is the main reason for putting it off till the last minute… for me, I think it is what may come after or the results. I have been noticing that the certain things in my life I seem to keep putting on the back burner, they aren’t there because I am lazy but more so, kind of-sorta scared. Yup. The whole fear of once I do make this decision or get pass this, what then? What if it’s worse and it becomes another let down? I think this kind of mentality is hindering me in certain aspects of my life where I need to buckle down and start making some choices. The irony of it all, is that the other day I told someone to just bite the bullet and get it done so they can know what is the next step. Because while sometimes the end result or next step isn’t exactly what we want, it is a big help in knowing what to do next instead of putting yourself in a standstill.

Pondering Pink Skies

It’s a little bit funny but sometimes all you need is a few hours alone to yourself.  It can be to indulge in bad, bad food (you’ll regret that one), work out (good one), be productive (never a bad thing) or simply watch your current favorite series (Grey’s Anatomy… yes I’m a late bloomer).  Point is, been doing all these and I’ve notice in a weird way it has helped me to clear my mind and let myself think. Step away from that horrible little cellphone where you are constantly waiting for the next message or frantically sending another one out – worse, the wrong message goes out or you trying to read between the lines. Again point is, allowing myself to just really sit there and think is already helping me figure out let’s say a certain conundrum. Okay well maybe not figure out, per say, but actually allow myself to go through it and even think about what I really want.  Just think.

Funny my horoscope today (again,,, yes I am one of those) read the following:

“You can not please everyone, so the only one you should concentrate on pleasing is yourself. But how can you satisfy the opposing parties or situations when it doesn’t appear to be possible? You probably can’t. You could try compromising, but if that doesn’t work, you may just have to draw the line and make a statement that you are only going to focus on what’s best for you. That’s only fair.”

Hmmm… the stubborn bull may be on to something.

 

 

The Sheep Failed Me

1… 2 ……

1…. 2…….. 3…..

1…… 2….. 3…… 4……. 5……

I swear it was about thirty minute intervals between each number before being able to get to the next. I just could not bring myself to sleep at all last night, I’ve been a little out of commission the past few days with a cold that has kept me inactive so yesterday when feeling slightly better I got into the whole “mind over matter” mode. Very productive day all the way till night. I thought I was tired and I was but it seems like my brain was not ready to shut down. Talk about million thoughts racing in your head over the most random of things. If they tied me to one of those sleeping machines that can read your thoughts (hmm do they even exist – Google time) the person on the other end would probably have a hard time deciphering them. I guess you can say I welcome the 1st of August with eyes wide open. I felt asleep around 7 am only to wake up at 10 am and BAM! have trouble sleeping again. Then at 12 pm and at this point it’s like screw it. Odd enough I wake up and want to go to the gym. I am just chalking it up to feeling so inactive for so many days that my mind has to catch up to my body. Yup that’s my rationalization and I am sticking to it. Besides I am a recovering insomniac (yes I diagnose myself in the University of “Nathalie’s World”), I am allowed to have one sleepless night every now and then. Talk about an August rush huh?

“I’m for anything that gets you through the night, be it prayer, tranquilizers, or a bottle of Jack Daniel’s. ”  

– Frank Sinatra  (one of my all time favorites)