Mindfulness: Words for a Moment with the Breath
Did you watch the season premier of Glee this week? It was all Beatles music…. which has led me to select the following for our weekly Mindful Monday:
And when the night is cloudy
There is still a light that shines on me
Shine on until tomorrow, let it be
I wake up to the sound of music,
Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
Yeah let it be, let it be
Let it be, yeah let it be
Oh there will be an answer, let it beThe Beatles, “Let it Be”
But it’s so much better to listen to it. The Glee version of the song is awesome. Here you go:
Gratitude
This was a rough week. Nothing catastrophic, but just one of those weeks where the busyness of teaching, blogging, mothering, dancing, cleaning, cooking, et. al. began to wear on me. Several weeks into the new school year, we’re tired, the novelty of new routines has worn off, grading and homework are piling up, tantrums are escalating, and our schedule is full of soccer, gymnastics, dance, and meetings. My husband is coaching football, and is away for much of the nighttime craziness. It’s during the rough weeks that a gratitude practice can be challenging, but also when it is so essential.
On Wednesday, after a night with tear-inducing battles {for all concerned} with my daughter, my gratitude journal entry read: “Thankful for bad days, for they make me appreciate the good ones. Today was rough. Tomorrow will be better.”
And it was. So I’m thankful for finding “Let It Be” on iTunes on Friday after watching Glee. It was exactly the reminder I needed. “And when the night is cloudy, There is still a light that shines on me, Shine on until tomorrow, let it be.”
I didn’t get the vacuuming done today. Let it be.
Long nights of conferences are scheduled for the upcoming weeks. Let it be.
At least some of the essays got graded. Let it be.
I’ve practiced as much as I can for my audition. Let it be.
There’s so much I cannot control. Let it be.
*****
I am thankful for amazing bloggers who seem to write the very words I need to hear at the time I need to hear them. Like the amazing Kristi of Finding Ninee. I just love these words from her post about bravery and trust on Friday.
There seems to be a common theme here. Trust. The very bravest things that I have ever done involve trusting myself. Trusting the universe. Trusting life to be okay even when it’s unexpected. Even when it hurts. Even when it’s better than I ever thought possible and not allowing myself to worry about the unknowns.
Let it be.
*****
So this week, I am thankful for a Sunday at home. I am thankful for being able to sleep in until 8am!! Clearly my body {and my husband} knew I needed rest more than anything. I am thankful for a day to just be in my house. I am thankful for time to write, and then watch football with my family.
*****
I am thankful for the beauty of fall. While doing dishes and thinking about this post, about light shining through the clouds, I looked up and saw this through my kitchen window:
It had been rainy and dreary all day, and then finally the sun broke through to illuminate the gorgeous fall colors.
I am thankful for the beauty of fall mums.
*****
I am thankful for the nurturing I witnessed between my children Friday night as we read bedtime stories. Usually Abby reads stories to Liam and me, but Liam wanted to read a book. As he “read” to us from his superhero book, Abby listened intently, and rubbed her brother’s back. Bedtime can sometimes be a struggle, so I was thankful for a bedtime full of sweetness.
{Old photo ~ I was too tired to even reach for the iPhone on Friday!}
And then after getting the kids to bed, I sat down in front of the TV, exhausted. I hadn’t even realized that Glee had been on this week, but there it was on my DVR. Maybe it was the emotional fatigue of the week, maybe it was the sadness of watching Glee without Finn Hudson, for I am not one to get weepy during a TV show, but I got so emotionally caught up in the show. I just loved loved loved the ending song and proposal {except for the fact that one of the boys is in HIGH SCHOOL, but the actor is actually like 26 so it’s a little better}. Did you watch it? I swooned over Blaine’s words to Kurt…
I am thankful for feel-good TV and music and singing and dancing. Yesterday I was all cranky, feeling like my entire Saturday was taken up by errands, but listening to these songs as I drove in my car helped change my mood.
And really, when it comes down to it, love is all we really need, right? Please enjoy this one too…
*****
Words for the week:
All you need is love.
Let it be.
What are you thankful for this week?
Finally, when gratitude is tough, it can be helpful to read what others are grateful for. Check out some amazing thankfulness posts by clicking the image below:
Top photo credit: Matt. Create. via photopin cc
- A Mindful Approach to New Year’s Resolutions - January 13, 2020
- Just This Next Step - December 16, 2019
- WAIT: A Mindfulness Practice for Waiting in Line - December 9, 2019
