ink speaks

today was most definitely a lesson on mindfulness. 

to tell you the truth, when i got my tattoo - a symbol of mindfulness, on being present - i was nervous about the significance of it. was i ready to face the meaning of mindfulness, having this permanent reminder of living for the now? how would i focus on its magnitude when my mind was inching toward the future? 

well luckily, i believed (and still do) in mindfulness strongly enough to challenge myself and have an ink representation of something that is so damn hard to do. which brings me back to today.

i woke up this morning with a billion thoughts streaming through my head. our trip to carmel for my birthday. topics to discuss with the nursing student i'm precepting at work. vacation ideas for this upcoming spring. plans for seattle. cleaning the stove! already feeling mentally exhausted by 8:30 am, i went on a run to clear my mind. 

after taking a shower and pouring myself a cup of tea, i shut up. i spent time analyzing the symbol on my wrist and let the ink do the talking. and in those few moments, i felt eons better, like i was ready to take on the day...this  day.

when i think about it, i am in no position to worry about the future, even if it's as little as when in the heck am i going to organize that file cabinet?! truth is, i feel pretty darn lucky to seize the present and watch chase sniff butts in santa monica. or come home to the guy i love with his yoga mat sprawled out and his cold beer waiting for consumption. i just need to remember that this life of mine, on (enter date here), isn't so bad. in fact, it's really quite lovely.