With what seems to be an everlasting to-do list, teaching, planning and homework to be done, I’m trying my best not to let a single ball drop. Sometimes it feels like I’m striving for an A+ in life. Sound familiar to anyone?

Well, a moment of awakening came last night when my husband pulled a bag of cheese puffs out of the refrigerator and looked to me for an explanation. After a good laugh, I decided to sit down, take some deep breaths and get quiet. It was quite clear that I would benefit from reconnecting my mind with my body.

I set Insight Timer on my phone for 15 minutes, closed my eyes and sat quietly. I immediately noticed thinking, thinking and more thinking. My mind jumped from upcoming deadlines to scenes from the past to decisions I need to make to self-doubt and I sensed a charge of impatience and anxiety throughout my body. It took an incredible amount of effort to sit still for 15 minutes.

Although not always easy, sitting quietly, even for a few minutes, supports me in awareness of my general state of being. I practice accepting that right now my mind is doing a lot of thinking. That’s what the mind does. It’s no surprise to me that the busier we get in our daily lives, the more our minds race. I also know it’s not always this way.

Part of my practice is to honor that I’m doing my best, that I’m human and to embrace good enough. My wish for us all is to remember that we’re good enough and to have compassion for the parts of ourselves that are working overtime to get an A+.

And…by the way…chilled cheese puffs aren’t so bad.

xo