(no subject)
On a related note, since I made my New Year's resolution to pay more attention, I notice several times a day that I'm not giving whatever I'm doing my full attention. This happens especially at school because I feel I have to constantly be doing something in order to stay afloat, but I need to remember to appreciate the moment too, because there are so many things I love about Carleton and I won't be a student that much longer.
I would like to follow the Chaplain's wise advice and devote some time to pure spiritual practice. I tend to dismiss things like that as silly and a waste of time, but a little time set aside for meditation, for instance, could potentially improve the rest of my life a lot. The problem is actually blocking out time for it. I do better when I have some sort of structure, especially a group. Church is good for this (we spend much of the service in silence, which is something I greatly appreciate), but it's only once a week. I feel that my concentration when praying is not that great (not that it ever was), and it's a shame because there are several aspects of my life that conscious effort is not improving and prayer well might. Maybe I could set prayer goals for myself, like learning the Rosary again and doing it a certain number of times a week in the Chapel's Prayer Room. Nice repetitive/meditative things like that that could get me out of my monkey mind for a little bit.
I don't know how successful I'll be with this, what with comps and all. But even the concept of paying attention and doing one thing at a time, mindfully and joyfully, is a good one to have in my life.
I would like to follow the Chaplain's wise advice and devote some time to pure spiritual practice. I tend to dismiss things like that as silly and a waste of time, but a little time set aside for meditation, for instance, could potentially improve the rest of my life a lot. The problem is actually blocking out time for it. I do better when I have some sort of structure, especially a group. Church is good for this (we spend much of the service in silence, which is something I greatly appreciate), but it's only once a week. I feel that my concentration when praying is not that great (not that it ever was), and it's a shame because there are several aspects of my life that conscious effort is not improving and prayer well might. Maybe I could set prayer goals for myself, like learning the Rosary again and doing it a certain number of times a week in the Chapel's Prayer Room. Nice repetitive/meditative things like that that could get me out of my monkey mind for a little bit.
I don't know how successful I'll be with this, what with comps and all. But even the concept of paying attention and doing one thing at a time, mindfully and joyfully, is a good one to have in my life.