As long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter what is wrong.1Jon Kabat-Zinn said that—it’s one of my favorite statements, ever. And yet, our typical response to any difficulty or illness is to focus on the troublesome parts of the experience. As a human being alive on this planet, you know how quickly and easily difficult experiences such as pain, fatigue, anxiety or depression (just to name a few) can take over your experience, pulling most or all of your attention to the cause of fixing it—fixing whatever is “wrong” or “broken.” We live in a culture that bombards us with messages of self-improvement, in advertisements for products, new medications, or lifestyle “fixes,” each with the underlying message that we are not okay exactly as we are—something can always be improved. This creates a sense of constant striving, reaching for something other than our present experience. This can create an endless roller coaster of suffering from constantly focusing on “fixing” all that’s “wrong” instead of a stabilizing focus on all that’s right, good and well with you and your body.
Remember, as long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter what is wrong,1 and this is an underlying premise of this blog. My hope is this is a space for being with and exploring the many facets of you, all that makes you the wonderful human being you are, and discovering (or remembering) your individual experience of joy and wonder—getting back in touch with, or even more in touch with, what makes you feel alive.
Each of you is unique and the components of your personal journey with well-being will look different from those around you. There are no precise parameters, no exact route, that each of us “should” follow. Rather, the intention in this space is to pull out the map of the terrain as we know it, and support you in your exploration of which route is the best fit for you, your life, your desires, and your joy, as you connect with your inherent well-being.
Throughout this blog we are exploring the many facets of what it means to be alive in a human body, and what role mindfulness may play in that experience. My ultimate hope is that this space offers support to your sense of well-being and experience of joy, because as long as you are breathing, there is more right with you than wrong with you, no matter what is wrong.1
1 Kabat-Zinn, J.
(2016). Mindfulness for Beginners: Reclaiming the Present Moment and Your Life