Mindful Monday - A Welcome Break

How was your week? Make that two weeks. I decided to take a little break from cell phones, computers, and social media during Holy Week and didn't post a check-in last Monday. Bill and I went on a cruise in celebration of our 20th wedding anniversary, so the timing seemed right for a media fast. I meant to post my plans before Palm Sunday, but ran out of time.

We had a wonderful trip and much nicer weather than they had back home. I did my meditation each night to the sound of the ocean. During my many years as a church musician, a get-away in the week leading up to Easter would have been as out-of-the-question as a Christmas vacation, but our lives have taken some unexpected turns in recent years, offering new opportunities. This particular turn was a very happy one.

As many beautiful man-made sanctuaries as I've been priviliged to worship in, none surpasses the seaside at sunrise or sunset. And I have to say that my days of coordinating elaborate worship services and attention to the details that facilitate worship for others were not necessarily the days I felt closest to God. It was quite a gift to be able to pray and meditate during this particular holy season in a far less structured yet more intimate way than I have in some years.

St. Thomas (U.S. Virgin Islands)

How fortunate that our 20th wedding anniversary happened to fall when it did or we would never have scheduled a Holy Week Caribbean cruise. We had planned a cruise to Alaska last summer, but it was scheduled for what would turn out to be the week of my mother's funeral. We had travel insurance, which allowed us to re-schedule a different cruise when we were ready, and I'm grateful that dad was doing well enough that we were able to go this time. It proved to be one of the best vacations we've ever taken.

I did try to eat mindfully on the ship, but not at all sparingly. I made the conscious decision to splurge and to savor each bite. After driving back from Ft. Lauderdale yesterday, I wanted to mark my transition to healthier eating again, so I actually cleaned out our fridge and pantry today.  While I was at it, I cleaned out the medicine cabinet, too, as I noticed while packing for our trip that we had quite a few expired meds which needed to be tossed. So today was a good day for clutter clearing as well as mindful eating! Tomorrow, I'll stock up on fresh produce and other healthy foods.

I got in a nice long walk today and plan to add additional exercise to my routine starting tomorrow. I managed to do a fair amount of walking on the trip, as well, but Sunday we spent 11 hours in the car, so it felt good to be able to move more today, and the weather was ideal.

There are times that lend themselves to fresh starts. Spring is a good season for beginning again and new growth. Easter adds themes of resurrection, redemption, and rebirth. A 20-year wedding anniversary is obviously a milestone, as well.

And so, we begin again, even as we honor the path that brought us this far and anticipate the continuation of our journey ahead. I still do plenty of mindless things--like overpacking. But I feel more attentive than I did 4 months ago or 4 years ago. I think I'm also just a little stronger and perhaps slightly better equipped for the ups and downs that are sure to come. Learning to ride life's waves takes some practice. Paying attention also helps, so I intend to keep working on that.