Category: Mindfulness Challenge for the Week

Start with yourself this week as I invite you to track evidence of aging, moment to moment, day to day.  When I say start with your self, the next time that you look at yourself in a mirror ask yourself:

“How have I been aging recently? 
Do I have a wrinkle or two more than I could remember before? 
Do I have a gray hair or two more than I can remember just last month? 
Are my eyelids droopy? 
Is my jaw sagging?” 

Look at yourself; go ahead and be critical if you want and just ask yourself the question,

“How have I been aging?” 

Record your observations if you will – whatever observations you would like to make about your own aging. Then put that record of observations aside.

For the remainder of the week collect evidence of aging that can be found throughout your world.  For example,

• Notice paint on walls. Detect evidence of paint that may be fading or chipping.
• Notice dogs. Every dog you pass, ask yourself, “What’s the evidence of aging here?  Does this dog have gray hair. Perhaps they are having a problem keeping up with their owner during the walk? 
• Notice evidence of aging in trees.  What evidence is there of aging in trees that you are drawn to observe? Is there moss growing on the branches ? Are the branches ragged with age?
• Notice vegetables in your refrigerator. Vegetables spoil when left uneaten.
• Notice expiration dates on products that you purchase at the store.  Many food products have expiration dates because past a certain point the food spoils.
• Notice neon signs that might have letters missing. After all, the neon signs did not have letters missing when they were new. Now that they have aged it is very common for neon signs to have a flicker in a letter or two or a letter that refuses to lite up.
• Notice the petals on flowers which are wilting. Flowers are beautiful but they never last forever.
• Notice the fruit that you eat this week. If left uneaten, fruit eventually rots and discolors.
• Notice cars. Clearly some cars are new; they have just been manufactured.  Other cars are decades old and have significant evidence of rust.

Acknowledge all evidence of aging as you go through your daily routine this week, minute by minute, day by day throughout the entire week.
And be sure to have fun as you assume the role of a meticulous detective who has a keen eye toward tracking evidence of aging in pretty much everything you encounter.

Robert

© Parkinsons Recovery

My invitation for you this week is to be totally sneaky and secretive. Doesn’t just hearing that give you a burst of energy?  We were certainly secretive and sneaky when we were kids, but when we become adults most people tend to be honest and open and want to be forthright.

This week, however, let’s adopt a more secretive life. My invitation and challenge is to commit an anonymous act of kindness each day. Let me emphasize the word anonymous.  My guess is that many of you commit many, many acts of kindness every day to others and hopefully to yourself.

The difference is that these acts of kindness need to be anonymous; no one should know that you actually committed any particular act of kindness on their behalf.

I must warn you, it’s not exactly as easy as it sounds.  This requires a bit of planning the night before.  Please put a little notebook beside your bed. Before you retire for the night plan out exactly what act of kindness you will commit the next day. Feel free to sneaky and cleaver in your designs.

Keep in mind that you do not want to be caught.  You don’t want anyone to realize,

“Ah, I figured it out.  You were the one who did it.  Well, thanks a lot.” 

That’s not the idea.  The idea is that all acts of kindness that you commit are anonymous and secret.  That’s why it takes quite a bit of planning to be able to actually implement these acts each and every day successfully.

I’m going to give you now some examples of what anonymous acts of kindness might look like.  Obviously the list is endless.  I could presents thousands of examples, but in the end you will have to come up with your own ideas of what would give you a burst of energy in committing an anonymous act of kindness that has meaning for you.

For example, you could:

• Wash dishes that are dirty for someone else.  Of course if you live in a household where it’s obvious you did it, that particular act is not going to be anonymous. 
• Pick up some trash during a walk in your neighborhood. Nobody is going to know that you actually did that. 
• Make an anonymous donation to a charity that you treasure and relish. 
• Leave a health food candy bar on a co-worker’s desk when no one else is looking. 
• Send an anonymous note of appreciation and thanks to someone who was particularly helpful, though you obviously don’t want to be clear about what they did specifically. 
• Answer a question (that you happen to have the answer to) on the internet, but do that anonymously. 
• Send flowers to a friend – what a thrill it is to receive flowers and you have no idea who sent them! 
• Plant a tree in your yard for a loved one who may be particularly challenged or troubled this week. 
• Send a prayer in your thoughts as you pass by a stranger. Your prayer could be: “May you find endless joy and happiness today.”

Please remember the rules of this kindness mindfulness invitation this week.

1. It needs to be an act of kindness; that’s probably not going to be hard to fulfill. 
2. The act of kindness needs to be anonymous.  Nobody can figure out that you actually committed the deed.

The end result promises to:

• Open up those blocked energy channels and meridians throughout your body.
• Strengthen your energy field. 
• Actualize your divine essence.
• Come into your full power.

One of the ways to accomplish these ambitious goals is to be mindful in committing anonymous acts of kindness.  May you have a magnificent week as you dole out random acts of kindness that are entirely anonymous.

Robert

© Parkinsons Recovery