Winter is not easy where I am from, and this one has been a particularly cold, long and trying one. It seems to have hit most only a few weeks ago and the conversation I hear everywhere - from friends, acquaintances and just jabber on the street - is how sick everyone is of winter.

I have been down also. Very down, I guess, having trouble holding things together. Instead of attacking things and finding solutions to problems, I have allowed myself to mire in dark thoughts and indulge myself in negative self-absorption.

Today I decided to try something: marvel at small things. Concentrate on everything I do, one task at a time and focus on the positive in everything. I don't know how long it will last but it's an experiment I invite everyone to try, particularly if you are feeling low as a result of the season or for any other reason.

The first thing I did was to peel a banana. I looked closely at the peel coming off, its texture, the way little cracks formed as the skin bent away from the fruit, the smell that came off and filled the space around me. I took a bite and instead of thinking of all the things I had to do, and all the things I was not doing and the figurative mountain I had to climb to get back to where I was and where I want to be, I thought of nothing but the taste and texture of the fruit in my mouth and what an incredible thing it was to be alive, standing here, ingesting a fruit grown by someone else, somewhere, tasting the banana on my tongue, being enthralled at the totality of all the things and events that had coalesced to allow me to be here biting into this delicious length of plant flesh.

I had a shower after, and instead of rushing through it with a million things on my mind, I lingered a little and felt the water on my scalp and shoulders, turned the knob to make it hotter just to feel the change on my flesh.

Now I am writing this little piece, struggling to concentrate and not let all the invading negative thoughts in that have of late assailed my mind, just to get some words down about this little experiment I am trying and as an invitation to all to try:

Be present in the moment, be enthralled with little things, don't let another preoccupied moment steal the time you have here on this fragile earthly plane.

Yes, I am telling you to stop and smell the flowers. I am going to try this today, and with these deliberate little baby steps, I hope i can turn my day around and make it a memorable one instead of just another dreary winter day I survived.

BE ENTHRALLED.

JBArk

PS if this post helps just one person have one pure moment that makes a difference in their day, I will be very happy!

Thanks. We all need to be reminded to be enthralled. We forget. I've been trying to be more present, with hilarious results. I like your approach and I will try it.
I was enthralled yesterday. I met Alex Grey and Martine Rothblatt. It felt so good to be in that state of enthrallment. I fell primed to be enthralled today. Thanks for the reminder.

Speaking of Alex Grey..

I marvel at the human body. Each step, a million living cells are pressured in the muscles of my leg.

Drinking water has never been the same. Never have i thought of "Feeding" the cells in my inner cheeks. Never have i considered that they might express their gratitude if i did.

I make a lot of wreckless moves. Now is the time to keep calm and feel every moment in it's "relatively small compared to what actually happens" perception of reality.

It's not easy to let yourself be enthralled by the mundane things we do each day. I was unable to sustain it all day, but the few moments I took to remember - running, cooking, reading, speaking to a friend - made my day so much more enjoyable instead of being simply tolerable.

We all need reminding. It's so easy to get wrapped up in our own heads and not see the time flying by.

Cheers,

JBArk

Exactly. Do something physical and concentrate on all the moving cells and muscles, feel your bones propping it all up, the skin stretching and rebounding elastic with every move or short burst.

I imagine this to be a large part of the enjoyment people get from yoga, and perhaps martial arts.


Cheers,

JBArk

This is called mindfulness, is it not? A wise practice.

Water is my thing......

Pics of my water bottle.....

I guess it is "mindfulness", as I understand the term. It is also a kind of wakeful meditation. I am trying to encourage the state in myself through these little conscious exercises as a way of reminding myself I am alive, and happy to be alive, and as a way of staving off depression. Exercising every day, at varying intensities and durations - mostly running - and a half hour of meditation are my two other tools. Oh, and some crossed fingers.

I bet there is a lot of history in that water bottle 112233!

Cheers,

JBArk

Practicing mindfulness is great advice it's helped
Me tremendously . This has been one of the toughest ,extreme
Winters I can remember, very cold, dark and unrelenting .
It has really put my sanity to the test . The good news is daylight
Savings , more light ! The snow is finally melting and spring is right around the corner.

Exactly. It only really hit me hard a couple of weeks ago - cumulative effect of too little light and too much time indoors just bursting up at once!

Now I feel like I am just holding out for warmer weather and better spirits. And for some work to keep me occupied and get me back on track - I haven't had a single contract in over three months, which makes the winter seem even more unrelenting!

But yes, on the positive side, the days are getting longer and spring is imminent!

JBArk