Is the Glass Half Empty or Half Full?
My usual “pumpkinpalooza”, as my grand-daughter Amanda calls it, did not materialize this summer. My time spent in Pennsylvania and my distracted-ness upon returning certainly impacted the pumpkins. The okra were also a bust this year. My white currants were prolific, but life got in the way of me harvesting all of them. And invasive bind weed has established a strong presence in the yard. Those are just some of my ” glass half empty” thoughts.
On the ” glass half full” side, blueberries and goji berries appeared for the first time ever this year. There is a plethora of calendula flowers for making salve. Chard, beans and kale are all bumper crops. Plus the garden brings me much joy.
What if the Glass is Really Half Empty?
It seems reasonable to check my perspective and intentionally re-focus to the positive when possible. But trying to apply this idea in every life situation seems a misstep to me. It is sometimes important to acknowledge the half empty cups in our lives.
If I’ve started with a full cup and something is taken from me, then taking time to grieve and be present with emotions is an important part of the now.Rushing to change our perspective can sometimes be a denial of feelings and a pretending about circumstances. Being here in the moment means we acknowledge loss.
Mindfulness Does Not Equal Happy
Mindfulness is not about being happy all the time; it is about finding peace with what is.
Taking time to grieve the wished for things that didn’t materialize and mourn the loved ones we’ve lost (people and animals) are important activities. What mindfulness practice allows us to do is honor those feelings. We can let feelings rise up, breathe through them, and be present without allowing them to consume us.
So this week’s mindfulness focus is to be intentional about noticing those half-empty cups. If we can change our perspective to half-full, that’s great. But if the cup is really half-empty, we can honor our feelings and allow time for grief and sadness, as we move toward healing.
For information on my weekly mindfulness focus click here.
