Superpower - Power to Choose

 

I've been considering the core components -- for me -- of meditation, of Buddhism, and mindfulness.  I came across the blog of the UMass Memorial Health Care Center for Mindfulness, the program started by Jon Kabat-Zinn.  It strikes me now that mindfulness is distinct from meditation. 

This blog post is a clear picture of mindfulness as a way to live "off the cushion."  It reminds me of David Foster Wallace's "This is Water."

I’m stuck in line at the RMV waiting to get my licensed renewed. Actually, I think I’m stuck in the line that leads to the line where I can renew my license. I don’t like this. Not one bit. But I have to renew my license. I have to get around to work, to buy food and go to the beach. I have no control over my current situation or how this RMV office is organized or operated for that matter. I have lots of opinions about this by the way. But absolutely no control over any of it.

However … I have every bit of control over how I deal with this situation. And so I choose to not let myself spiral into a mass of anger and frustration that will unleash itself at the poor defenseless clerk when I finally make my way to the front of the line.

I can make this choice because I can feel myself starting to get agitated. My foot is tapping, breath is shallow and fast, shoulders are tense and closer to my ears. Various thoughts all related to the theme “this is ridiculous” are running fast and furious in my mind.

I know this because I am aware in this very moment – awake and aware of what I am feeling physically and emotionally, and what’s running through my head that’s making me feel worse.

And I choose in this moment to focus my attention on my breath … again and again. I bring my attention to my breath. Feeling the air as it enters through the nostrils, moves through my body with a slight expansion in the rib cage and then feeling a gentle release as the air leaves my body.

At some point, I begin to consider we are all in this together: those of us in line and those of us behind the desk. My sense of righteous indignation starts to loosen feeling in its place a growing sense of community. Yep, right here in the RMV line.