Re: On Mindfulness and Acceptance / Afterward

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Kv. I too have regret (and embarrassment, tremendous at times) for

things I've said out loud, here and elsewhere. Very hard to sit with. And yet

how I approach or hold the regret (or painful thought/feeling) afterward is

becoming to me very interesting in itself. How I talk to myself and others about

it (or not at all), how I hold myself, how I story it up..what to do with it? Do

I use this as more evidence of what a loser I am? My mind sure wants to go there

a whole lot. Build up that case. And define myself within these narrow

parameters. Sometimes it happens so quickly, so automatically as a matter of

habit. It's the familiar thing to do. Or so it was. Until now. I have a choice

now. Maybe I can sit with it and not call it anything in particular (or a lot

of things, and laugh at all the words that come up)? Sounds simple, yet this is

radical change for me. To simply refrain from jumping right there into my head

and insist this pain mean more than it is, less than it is. To open up, even for

five minutes to my direct experience of what regret feels like. Maybe I can

also now move around as I'm holding my regret and notice the breeze through my

window, hear the birds chirping and the air-conditioners humming and maybe I can

a take a warm shower and maybe now go for that nice drive to see my brother,

placing regret in the passenger seat and sorrow and embarrassment in the back

seat?

terry

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > If mindfulness and acceptance are the be-all to end-all, why are

they so

> > > > > > > > deficient?

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > I seem to be mindful of everything in my world all of the time.

So what?

> > > > > > > > My world is one of horror and pain -- no kidding. Of course I

accept it

> > > > > > > > for what it is. But I'm not going to kid myself that it is

anything but

> > > > > > > > horrible and painful. Why the heck would I? Why the heck would

anyone?

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > I'd rather not live in this world. And that's the problem.

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > Cheers (if that's an appropriate sign-off),

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > > > Detlef

> > > > > > > >

> > > > > > >

> > > > > >

> > > > >

> > > >

> > >

> >

>