90 Day No Negativity Challenge – Day 42

Day 42

Smoke and Mirrors

Calamari and a martini, bluegrass and cowboys, songs sung under a midnight sky.  Sounds like fun and it was fun.  I’m paying for it today though. (Note to self; men do not like it when you say, “YEA, just the man I wanted to see. Oops, never mind, right hat, wrong man!)  I knew that if I were going to keep negativity at bay I would have to be mindful of my thoughts and not let my mind be clouded with illusions.

That’s what negativity is, illusions.  I know I know it’s being “honest” or “realistic.”  What I’ve learned from this challenge is that first of all negativity is destructive and secondly that it’s all smoke and mirror tricks of the mind.  What is called being honest and realistic are really opinions and judgments clouded by fear that the past will repeat itself.  It’s all a big ol’ lie that keeps you from the truth and the truth is this…..are you ready?  The truth is love, who knew, right?  Remember the song, “All you need is love.”  The song has been rocketing around my brain, in between the bluegrass song I’m working on and odd snippets of Grateful Dead lyrics, it’s a great song to sing and a great lesson. Do yourself a favor and listen to the lyrics. “There’s nothing you can do that can’t be done.”  However, love is easier to access on eight hours of sleep instead of four.  I needed help.  Lots of water, a good breakfast, being patient with myself and others, those things were a good start.  What I really needed was to still my mind was a good meditation session, ok, that and a long nap.

My meditation habit is inconsistent, sitting in silence and resting my spirit works for me but I’ll give it up for well….calamari and a martini, cowboys and bluegrass.  A woman who recognized my tendency to get lost (trapped) in my mind recommended mindfulness meditation.  Simply being mindful and fully present is a form of meditation. That’s what worked for me today I focused on one thing, being fully present in what I was doing.  That and lots of water didn’t completely undo the effects of last night but it did go a long way in keeping the door closed to unwanted thoughts that are not my own. That’s right; I’m not claiming negativity as mine. I’m claiming love. “All you need is love, duh, da, da, da, da, all you need is love.”