Makes Total Sense to me!

Makes Total Sense to me!

Hello there,
Welcome to our Mindful Wednesday blog,
where we are learning how to live in the NOW,
and not waste our precious lives fretting about stuff we can’t control, or panicking about shit that will probably never happen.
Last week, we talked about the power of hugs.
I could use a good hug right now!
Where are Steve and Dave when you need them!
Here I am,
scrambling to get out of the door to a late night TV Show,
panicking about getting caught in traffic on the M25,
just got a gentle nudge from a mag editor 
that this month’s article is late,
bla bla blady bloody bla…
But actually, aren’t I lucky to HAVE to write to you today?
Because that is making me listen to myself, before I spout forth!
Physician heal thyself springs to mind…
I have figured out an instant Ping-me-back-to-now technique.
It makes total sense to me! (pardon the pun)
If I just think about my senses – any one of them,
and switch any one of them on,
I immediately
 – and I mean IMMEDIATELY –
come back from wherever my mad head is dragging me.
If I simply focus on what I can hear, feel, see, smell or taste,
I am instantly in the moment. 
Why?
Because sensations, 
or what our senses are registering can only be in the NOW.
Think about it.
Try this now:
Switch on your ears, to LISTEN to the sounds outside, 
or in the room you’re in. Detect 3 different sounds.
(Don’t go getting caught up in a rant because the neighbour’s music is blasting!)
Do nothing. Just register the sounds.
Or touch the top you’re wearing and FEEL the texture.
Touch 3 different surfaces.
Or LOOK at your thumbnail and study its shape.
(Don’t panic, like I just did, and think 
“Damn! I’d better clean and condition my nails before telly tonight!”)
Do nothing. Just register the shape.
Study 3 different things with your eyes.
Or put your nose to work and find 3 different smells.
The fridge is a great smells place!
clearly didn’t fancy the old banana…
And while you’re there, taste 3 different things!
When we concentrate on what we are 
smelling, tasting, seeing, hearing or touching,
we are catapulted instantly into the moment,
the NOW.
And on that very obvious note, I really have to go.
Love and hugs,

45 thoughts on “Makes Total Sense to me!

  1. Good luck with the tv show! I can hear a whistling sound (in my ears I think), the budget on the tv downstairs and the builders across the road. I've just tasted a bacon sandwich and a diet coke and now you've persuaded me I need a little back of popcorn (73 calorie sort). I'll do the rest later when we come back from the school run this afternoon! xx

  2. Gosh, what a life you lead: and sometimes it's not so good, and sometimes it's brilliant! Now today was a vile, painfull day … the kind that makes me wish I could wake up tomorrow … and then, I discovered you guys had chosen my first Clarity challenge card as one of your 'Five'! and Woop, Woop, the pain becomes tolerable … and I so hope I can get to my craft stuff tomorrow, to make more! (Thank you!!)

  3. Well, this is certainly something I need to try as I am rubbish and switching my brain off from all the stresses and challenges of life. I just attempted this while eating lunch and hearing myself munch and type was not necessarily as relaxing as it could have been (!) but I will persevere. Good luck tonight (PS sure your nails are fine!)

  4. This reminds me of a technique we used to use when I was a head trauma nurse trying to stimulate people to come out of a coma – we had a little box of different textures and smells and tastes etc – boy you just transported me back 25 years!!! I've just had a lovely cup of tea and tasted an overspilled bit of my homemade apple crumble muffins (don't tell the diet police – sweet and spicy), can hear the washing machine, bird song and the computer fan, but can no longer hear the noisy fridge as our new shiny silent one arrived yesterday! Hope your show goes really well, that the traffic on the M25 is flowing, and that you arrive in time to put some thought into your article in the green room – now if only I were a fairy godmother, heh? Thank you for making me smile and for taking me back to my 20s for a minute in my head! Susan x

  5. Wow what a good technique, so obvious really when you think about it but how many of us do it. I'm terrible for over thinking a situation and before I know it, it has been all out of proportion. …..In my head! When I feel that happening again I shall remember your great advice, thank you as always. Hope all goes well this evening xx

  6. I think no matter who we are, or how old we are, we all have our stressy moments, and taking a deep breath and bringing ourselves back to the here and now has to help. At the moment I am looking out the window at the hills in the distance and the birds are singing, mind you the wind is blowing a gale but never mind! I am watching C & C on the tv and I have just finished drinking a nice cup of coffee so I think all my senses have been employed as I am tapping my fingers on the tablet screen to speak to you, and hubby has just come in so perhaps I'll give him a hug too. I think that by staying in the here you will arrive in the future with your head still intact. Your late night show will be great Barbara. x

  7. This is a form of Meditation. In Hindi, it is called "Sahaj Samadhi" meaning to meditate effortlessly, by just being in your present 🙂

  8. Didn't dare look at my nails, been gardening and they are mess. No problem tasting 3 things from the fridge though and your blog made me laugh too so that's got to be good.

  9. I did look at my thumb nail and thought "how did that get so dirty so quickly?" and then realised ti was because I have been engrossed in playing with different techniques on parchment – a great couple of hours of fun. Right now, I am enjoying the beautiful wild flowers in the flower beds on the island in front of the house – most of them Bec and I sowed last year, doing a bit of guerrilla gardening. We have had poppies of all colours, cornflowers and now the sunshine yellow evening primroses. Sounds – well, that is the sounds of the dawn chorus and the beauty of that to listen to. One of my favourite smells is the air on a summer's day when we get a shower of rain – perfect. Oh yes, and the glorious perfume in my living room coming from a bunch of beautiful sweet peas given to me by a neighbour yesterday. My tastes weren't from the fridge, though, but straight from my shopping bags – fresh strawberries, raspberries, and celery with Primula cheese dribbled up the centre of the stalks, finishing off with what the supermarkets leave of the celery heart, which remind me of the huge proper sticks of white celery with hearts that my grandfather grew on his allotment in the black sooty soil. Oh dear, now I am dribbling – not a good sight. Now I am off to pack my craft bags for my usual Friday class and for joining Kim at Nottingham on Saturday. I really enjoyed all that thought and the memories it invoked. Remember to smell the flowers today, Barbara. Safe journey. xxxx Maggie

  10. Hi Barbara
    I have just had a snack ( ginger nut, cheese spread in celery ) it really does work. You can sense things in the past or the future, only in the "now" I think I will eat chocolate every time I am stressing over something. Oops- I think I do that already!
    Good luck for tonight. You will be amazing as usual.
    Hugs from Chris x

  11. I loved the photo of the child in the fridge as well. Reminds me of younger daughter as a toddler opening the fridge door and squashing the eggs all over the kitchen floor. What a sticky mess she made.

  12. Oh I so needed that dear Barbara . Just trying to get up enough energy to join my daughter for a trip on the subway to the HighLine in Manhatten . We're visiting for a few days and yesterday wore me out ,a day in the city ,walked 7 miles and I do thanks God I can still do it at 68 years young . You're a very wise wonderful woman ., when you're visiting Grace be sure to walk the HighLine .

  13. Hi Barbara, I already do that without knowing that's what I do 🙂 Sounds and sights – of nature of course! Sometimes tasty food, and scented flowers too, my sweetpeas and carnations. And touch too, my lovely soft cotton bedding. Now that you've brought it up I'm wondering if that's what's happening to all the time I'm losing these days. You know how I'm frequently saying I had the time and I had intended doing, but I've ended up doing who knows what! That's a bit worrying, not the good in the now Mindfulness, more escape to who knows where for a while, and then I don't remember where that time has gone! My brain's way of helping me get through this awful situation I guess.

    Just because I mentioned it the other night, it's looking like people like me have been spared in the Tory budget this time. I think it's time I treated myself to Groovi stuff eh! I keep hearing the first person who looked after me – encouraging me to treat myself I deserve it with what I've been put through and going through, and spend some of the money I've saved from budgeted for trips /afternoons out /support hours that I've had to miss out on. And especially as Groovi is going to help me. This person (an excellent psychologist) would have been all for your Mindfulness and actively helping and encouraging me to learn it :-). I do know there are an awful lot of scared and upset people this evening who are going to be losing out. I hate soo much that I have no choice but to be reliant on the mercy of the Government for my survival. It's not me, not how I work, goes against the grain, as it must do for the majority of us unfortunates in society. Even if, when we get there, I can mange to sell some of my crafts, it's never going to earn me an income I can survive on, even if everything I make sold (which it never will), I'm not able to make enough items.

    On your own again, Dave still churning out Groovi plates and building machine rooms! That's not good. Please both of you, you need to plan in some chill time asap or you'll both be ill. Stuff can wait a wee bit longer, your health, and sanity!!! needs to come first. Good luck with tonight's shows, hope everything sells out and you get back home safe and sound big bear hugs from me love Brenda xx
    Oh guess what, I had my first two garden strawberries of the season – boy were they soooooooooo tasty, the best I've produced ever so far, with a lot more to come, if the weather obliges for ripening them 🙂 And half a dozen pea pods, although the peas weren't that big in them, but they're sugarsnaps so the pods are very tasty too, but not as tasty as the fresh peas inside when I leave them long enough, too impatient!!!! But in my defence, going a week between being able to harvest I do have to pick things early so they don't over ripen. And some oregano and mint (for mint tea) for the freezer, and a wee bit rhubarb for tomorrow, and my usual rocket and watercress 🙂

    Hi Dot, see you're not forgotten while doing your granny duties, hope your having fun 🙂

    1. Brenda I definitely think you should go for your Groovi if you think you can afford it. I absolutely love mine and it's amazing how time just flies by when you're using it. Your garden seems to be well in advance of ours – our strawberries and raspberries are only just beginning to form fruits no where near being ripe – it's been so cold here apart from last week. My sweet peas are only about a foot and a half tall!!! Love Alison xx

    2. Thank you Alison, it does help me that all you guys think crafting with the Groovi will help me and is worth me buying. I think you all know me well enough by now to be able to give me good advice :-).
      And I thought my gardens were delayed! Well they are a bit and some plants have really suffered from the exceptionally cold spring but clearly not as much as yours. Most of my borders are against the building which I think helps shelter them from the worst of the cold. If it's any consolation my sweetpeas have only started flowering last week, and half my tomatoes still look like new young plants!!! xx

    3. Hi Brenda, yeah I'm fine have been doing a card. Stopped now as my neck is hurting. I think it is looking down while I was colouring in my stamp images. Xx

    4. Hello Brenda glad your making your mind up to get in the groovi ,hello Donna good that your crafting a card but have stopped as your resting your neck .i have managed to colour in a little today big hugs to you both xxx

    5. Brenda you go for that Groovi plate if you can afford it my love as I think it will be perfect for you. My sweetpeas are full of flowers this year which I am really pleased about and my neighbour had the pleasure of my strawberries whilst we were away as I didn't want them to go to waste. I've got a lovely crop of peas too but the runner beans are rubbish thus year! I love this time of year in the garden don't you xxx

    6. Glad you're fine Donna, and you're absence was for a good reason 😉 I had been getting a wee bit worried that it was extra bad day time again. I've got a box easel which is brilliant when colouring in /drawing as you can angle it to any angle and it means you're looking forward instead of down, helped my neck and back a lot. Might be a help for you too Sheila, glad you're back to crafting too xx

      Thank you Diane :-). You must be living in England then!!!! Yeah this is my favourite time of the year for the garden, and the start of the harvest when you get a wee taste and know what you've got to look forward too :-). I love all the summer fruits too, and this year Tesco has a lot of it a lot cheaper than normal so I'm buying and eating loads, things I would normally only be able to have as a treat, it's brilliant. And daisy is happy too, she loves nectarines! I know a cat eating fruit, she's been doing it since a baby!!! Her favourites just now are nectarines (they're peaches to her) and dried apricots (she knows them as prunes!!!) She also eats plums, sometimes strawberries too, lentil soup, red kidney beans, toast (before I got my allergies), she liked the cereal biscuits when i could have them too, apple juice – although I've not tried her with that for a while, tried to deter her from that!!! Can't think what else right now. Just as well she gets her teeth cleaned eh! xx

    7. Right I'm moving in with you, I think Daisy eats better than I do! I never knew cats would eat all that. Dogs on the other hand eat anything. Phoebe goes nuts for boiled eggs, she gets excited when she knows I'm boiling them! And if she hears the rustle of the cheese packet she comes running. Xx

    8. No cats don't eat that kind of stuff ever! But then Daisy is a human in disguise 😉 Mushroom, raw mushroom that's another food she enjoys!!! Things like cheese, egg, fish Daisy doesn't even look at, the exception being tinned tuna, she likes a bit of that xx

      Brilliant shows Barbara, I enjoyed watching them. Dean was on good behaviour too, most of the time!!! That was really funny about the dollar sign, I did wonder how something like that would slip past you!!! The only trouble with watching your USA shows, I can't concentrate fully for a whole hour, I realise I've just missed an important bit I want to know /see, so I do my usual reach for the remote to rewind – it doesn't work on the laptop!!!! Have a safe journey home xx

  14. Thank you Barbara. This idea immediately puts you in the present. I was mainly hearing the breeze in the trees & feeling the coolness of today compared to the heat of yesterday and thinking thank goodness it's cooled down. Your show will go well I predict it and I'm sure your nails are fine. Love & hugs.xx

  15. Good evening Barbara! I have just had a midfulness moment and made something for a dear friend and its so refreshing after a stressful day to realyy focus on being arty!
    Then I switched on my tablet and caught up on a few messages before reading your blog and whilst reading I did catch myself touching things with my eyes shut to feel the textures and smelling the different fruits in my fruit bowl! I listened to sounds around me and then spent 5 mins looking and studying three different objects! As for tasting I didn't do that as I am not hungry and not long had my tea! However tasting foods is a fascinating thing….people are reluctant to taste foods that they have never had often saying they don't like it….especially teenagers! But as I always tell them …how do you know you don't like it if you have never tried it! We sometimes will stick only to what we are used to or know but if we would have a bit more sense of adventure we would find out that we like and can do so much more! And I am not talking just about tasting food either now!
    Wednesday's blog is encouraging us all to be mindful and think about the here and now but I think it's also encouraging us to look at ourselves and be more adventurous and change things we don't like!
    Right I am off for a cuppa. Love and hugs xxxx

  16. Hi Barb,
    Great ideas although all I can think about at the moment is trying to decide whether to put the heating on as its so damp and chilly here! Hope things went well with the filming. Love Alison xx

  17. Hi Barbara
    We used to get the children to think like this before they started a piece of writing at school, some of them found it so difficult to do! I can smell my sweet peas which are lovely and some onions that have gone over whilst we've been away – not so nice , must sort them out for the food bin tomorrow! I've just eaten a bowl of strawberries and I'm having a glass of wine, both delicious. I can hear the TV ( a rather gripping NCIS !) and hubby clicking on his computer catching up on emails. I like this mindfulness, it seems to work doesn't it. Safe journey tonight and I hope the show goes well too
    Sending a big hug your way
    Love Diane xxx

  18. Hello Barb, well this certainly got me going, and is something I think I will try everyday. Hope you got to the studios safely and the shows went well. Bx

  19. HI Barbara the fridge photo had me chuckling that just looks like the back of my head and my wee grandson whos just started walking and into everything thank goodness for smaller fridges here….xx

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