Jack Kornfield, Jon Kabat-Zinn and Ram Dass Walk Into a Bar...

Reading the subject line of this post, some of you are scratching your heads, while others are giggling just thinking of the absurdity of three mindfulness gurus as the beginning of an "Into a Bar" joke.

I've read and listened to a great many books on mindfulness, or living in the present moment.  Some of these books have been treatises on the wonders of reorienting your world view to include a lot more perspective and a lot less planning/dwelling.  Others have been mildly humorous manuals on meditation and focus.

All of these books have one common thread--the road to a better life begins with letting go.  With the advent of social media, we've taken worrying and obsession to the next level of intensity.  It is no surprise that social media overuse is bad for you.

Recently, I've started waking up earlier (par for the course and not unusual anymore)--five or even four thirty in the morning.  Normally, this would have started to worry me. After thinking about the advent of this phenomenon, however--I'm embracing it.  I used to wonder why my parents got up this early.  I bet it has to do with a mix of instinct  and genetic memory (perhaps, of farming/hunting/gathering and the need to rise early to make it possible to survive the long winter months).

Life is very quiet and peaceful at this time of day.  I have adequate time to meditate, wake up, read, knit, and exercise prior to the start of what will almost invariably be a busy day (weekend day or not, we tend to do quite a lot, Romeyn and I).

So I have let go of the concept of sleeping in and getting additional rest, at least for the present moment.  I'm finding the little moments of joy in a life that has fewer moments of rest but greater amounts of Amanda time.

Be well, fellow Introverts. 

YANA (You Are Not Alone)

Remember that episode of Dr. Who with "Chan....Tho"...where you realized that Dr. Yana (aka The Master, or Moriarty to Dr. Who's  Sherlock Holmes) had an acronym for a name?  The Face of Boe, Dr. Who, and Yana/Master play out this cute little enigma in grand style.

Similarly, I feel that those who suffer from Depression are often decoding life's mysteries to try to find others with whom to appropriately share their trials and tribulations.  The many, many hoops that insurance companies make us jump through do not help us in our quest.

When dealing with insurance companies, I often feel like I'm in a Western movie being asked to "dance" at gunpoint.   Dance, little Depressive.  Dance.  You need treatment?  We'll see about that.  Dance, dance, dance...

It's complicated by the fact that I'm an Introvert.  I often get the reaction of "I don't believe you're an Introvert." But the simple truth is that I get my energy by rest and time alone with my books.  People are by and large an exhausting reality for me.  That being said, they're important and worth the power drain.

So I go out of my way to perfect the people moments.  I try to connect and serve and be a good human being.

Today is going to be a great example of that.  A dear friend of mine and her children will be joining me at The Wild Center for some natural beauty and a nice walk (and photo ops for all of us, let's not forget that!).  Oooh, and I definitely want to spend a little time at the Otter Enclosure.

I'm looking forward to the event, AND it's hard for me to get up the energy to go.  Does that make the event bad for me?  No way!  It simply means I accept myself and my needs, AND I recognize that the good of seeing my friend, her kids, and nature far outweigh the negative impact of energy drain.

Accepting yourself is a big part of successfully navigating being an Introvert (and, frankly, it is good for Depression as well).  Be kind to yourselves, fellow Introverts.