Happy October! This is one of my absolute favorite months. I love all things Fall (even when it’s 80 degrees in VA) including pumpkin flavored foods, cooler mornings, changing leaves, festivals, and Halloween. But, not candy corn. Never candy corn. The kiddos are fully back into the swing of school after a Labor Day week start and I’m breaking out the seasonal decorations. What do you love about this season?

Yesterday was actually my first day of the mindfulness challenge and it went pretty well. It was Youth Sunday at church yesterday so we had to get out and about relatively early. I woke up and took a peek at the gorgeous sun peeking through the trees and took time to zen out on the shower. My husband drove to church and I soon found myself mindlessly scrolling social media timelines on my phone. I quickly came to my senses, stashed my phone in my purse, and started listening to and looking at the world.

I heard my oldest rehearsing her lines for welcoming the congregation and doing announcements and my youngest was humming a sweet song about love. I saw the white fluffy clouds dancing on a Carolina blue sky. And I would have missed all of these seemingly small moments if I was absorbed in my phone or worrying about Monday morning. They were a big part of shaping my attitude about the rest of the day and my general life.

Every time my mind wandered at church I would say to myself “No Tai, it’s about the present. Listen to the message you came to receive.” And then I would dial back in to the service.

When I did my Sunday ritual of cleaning out the fridge, I simply cleaned out the fridge. And when I watched a new TV show with my husband, I left my phone on the charger and made him put his away after multiple requests. We all have some room to grow, right? And we actually had a meaningful conversation about the show during commercial breaks!

I also did a great job of toning down the yelling and fussing with the kids. It was a stretch of my patience but it helped me not feel like such a total grouch 😩

This morning was interesting because I woke up at 2:30AM with a racing mind. I guess my brain was in shock and trying to bring up all the unnecessary worrying and thoughts that I suppressed all day haha! I was dismayed because today is a workday and it takes me forever to fall back asleep. But, after about 15 or 20 minutes, I laid down and took control. I closed my eyes and repeated a simple mantra to myself.

“I am at peace. I am resting well.”

It seemed stupid at first but I fell back asleep so it worked for me! Today is going to be a bit more challenging because it’s a typical workday. But when I am working I will focus on those tasks. And when I transition to home life, that’s where I will direct my attention.

I still have to work on making my bedroom a phone free zone and resisting the urge to divert to social media to pass the time instead of being engaged in my own life. But this is just the beginning of a new way of life 💜💜

I’ll be following up in a couple of days with updates and more about how I will make the most of this challenge!

Take Care,

Tai