For quite a while now I’ve been working
on being a nicer, more mindful person. By that I don’t mean saying thank you or
being considerate to the people I interact with, as I do that anyway, but
rather about monitoring my thoughts about people.
Oh you know exactly what I’m
talking about. The thought you have when you look at someone’s outfit and think
“Girl, what ARE you wearing? That’s just a terrible outfit!”, or swearing when someone
cuts across traffic. That instant judgement of someone whose story you don’t
know. We all plead guilty. I certainly am.
What kind of person am I if I am
so judgemental? I pride myself on being a feminist, pro-choice, accepting of
the spiritual diversity around me, yet does my instant judgement not make me a hypocrite?
I’m sure it does, and I’m not proud of it. And it got me thinking.
I may not like someone’s outfit,
but they may not like mine. So what. Let it go (Cue Frozen soundtrack, because
life’s too short to not have soundtracks). We take things so personally when
they’re not about us at all. That guy who cut you off in traffic wasn’t even
thinking about you, he was too self-involved in whatever issues he’s dealing
with. So I try to not stoop to that level. Take a deep breath and let it go.
The Minimalist movements talk
about getting rid of the clutter in one’s lives in order to live more
fulfilling lives, as by having less material distractions you are able to focus
on more important things that feed your soul and you’ll be happier. I think
that also applies to the clutter of the mind, all those negative thoughts clouding
about.
I may not be the best at parting
with material clutter, but I’m working on getting rid of my mind clutter. I
know I will fail at times (I’m awesome, not perfect), but if I can be that
small bit better, then that is better than never having tried at all.
