A Mosquito Bite!

In my reading of "Eat, Pray, Love" this morning I stumbled across a comment the author made. "Whenever something happens, I always react!" She wrote this in response to an exercise she tried to help her meditate. She sat in the garden at practiced Vipassana meditation. In this form of meditation you don't move at all, even during physical or emotional discomfort, you don't move for 2-3 hours at a time. So in the garden she sat and at this particular time of day the mosquitoes feast heavily. She centered herself and sat devoted to her meditation and allowed the mosquitoes to nibble away. She realized at the end of her meditation exercise that it was the first time in life she hadn't swatted at a mosquito in her site and she had over twenty bites. It was a puppet reaction she said that she had always done. And it prompted her to make the statement "Whenever something happens, I always react."

So it got me to thinking, what if I take a different approach or reaction in my life? What if I don't let my friend annoy me with her constant guarantee that my 30s are doomed to hell? Perhaps then I can just enjoy my 30s without her voice popping into my head. *Sidenote: I've never been the type to worry about age or my accomplishments based on societies rules of you should be doing this or experiencing that at this age and have accomplished this by that age. Just live life! End of Sidenote.* What if I decide to smile at the tourists that stop directly in front of me on the sidewalk instead of getting pissed off and stopping myself from screaming and pushing them out of my way? Maybe I'd get to a casting and be ready to roll immediately instead of needing a moment to de compress, especially if I'm already late. What if I make the decision not to give my number to or take a number from the irresistible cuties that are always in my face? Maybe that'll be one less heart break for me. What if I decide not to buy that Frappe or candy bar when I walk past the store? That would put me one step closer to the body shape I keep saying I want to get back. What if I don't constantly get annoyed when my ex calls or texts me and just let the past be in the past? Maybe then I can unlock my heart and find love again. *Sidenote: Is it possible to have a locked heart and yet still have an increasing number of entries to my Little Black Book? Does that sound contradicting? I usually throw most of the numbers away or don't answer when they call. Maybe its a subconscious reaction that still gives me Hope for a shot at love...hmmmm? End of Sidenote*

So I think the point to her exercise was maybe about not reacting to certain things and to stop sweating the small stuff or reacting to things simply because you can or because they are there. Steadying your mind and focusing on the priority at that moment. I'm thinking I need to start with a more positive reaction which will hopefully lead to no reaction or not sweating the small stuff. That's all for now, back to the book. Gotta finish it before the movie comes on Aug 13th starring my fav actress Julia Roberts... Yay!

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