Your favorite place

A friend of mine posted on social media today that he had just pulled into his vacation spot.  I saw the image of the lake with trees and I instantly knew where he was.  One of my favorite places on earth.  He explained that he has gone every year for the past 22-years and it is his favorite place on earth.  I went 14-years in a row starting when I was a teen.  I have been back to visit, but never to stay.

I love how we have that one place that fits us like a glove.  It is the perfect mix of who we are and who we want to be.  It fits our personality while challenging us a bit.  The place brings us to our own quiet internal space when we truly feel alive and can enjoy it.  It is our escape from whatever realities exist, if only for a few hours, days, or weeks.

We usually cannot live in this place or we would never be productive as humans.  Or...worse, we would learn to take the place for granted and eventually not appreciate the place anymore.

This perfect spot and favorite place needs to be cherished in reality and in our memories...or, it loses its value.

If you don't have at least one of these places, you need to find one.  They are motivators in their own right.  They give us dreams to look forward to...even if we will never go there again.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindulliteracy
@LevineWrites

Searching for Perfect

Today's weather was beautiful.  Perfect.

I, too often, see people complaining on social media or in person about the weather.  If you live in the Midwest, which I do, the weather goes from one extreme to the other.  This sometimes happens in the matter of days or even hours.

I think some of us are so busy looking for the perfect day that when it shows up at our doorstep, we don't notice it.  We don't appreciate it.  In fact, we are looking for the weather to complain about...

I fear that for some, life in general is viewed that way.  They are always searching for perfect.  There is no true perfect...or is there?  It is truly up to the individual.  Perfect is a mindset.

For me, the weather is the weather.  It is perfect the way it is.  Sometimes we have to deal with things due to the weather like driving, my breathing due to allergies, and severe weather that can bring damage.  Weather is weather.  It is what it is.  We cannot do anything about it...but maybe move.  But then we are running away from weather to find new weather to complain about.  Our mindsets follow us.

Perfect Mindset isn't perfect.  It appreciates.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

School Dreams

I am a teacher.  I have back to school dreams...well....nightmares. 

Some have students that are out of control, some have me trying to teach during a disaster, some have me teaching in a corn field, some are funny, most are scary.

I don't normally have these events until August, but...they have already started.

I wonder if it is because I am still seeing students at school.  Is it because I am invested in Twitter Chats and thinking about my teaching?  Is it because I ran into a few students a few days ago?  Is it because of something I ate?  Is it gas?

I am not sure what creates these strange night school rehearsals, but I know that I have them.

I have heard through the years that others have them.  I am curious if all teachers have them. I think if they do, someone should write a book as a collection of various teachers' dreams.  That might be quite an interesting read!

What I decided to do after each one...  because I wake in a cold sweat every time I have one, is to reflect on their meaning.

They almost have me thinking things through to make sure that I am considering all possible situations for next year.  They are pretty crazy when I think of the things that happen.  Most of all, I am left with the recognition that I care about what I do.  I want to do well.  I want my students to like me and have incredible experiences in my class.  I want my students to be successful regardless of the obstacle.

That is the message that I will take from these nighttime cinematic events.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

The Calming Cicada

As I grilled out special 4th of July meal this afternoon... Corn on the Cob, Potatoes, and Buttered Boca Burgers, I noticed a few things.

The first thing that I noticed was that I was calm.  I am usually stressed while grilling for my wife and mother-in-law as I want everything to be perfect and come out at exactly at the same time.  Today I was calm.  I was in my happy place.  And...everything was perfect.

While I was grilling out, it was pretty hot outside....and I was working near the massively hot grill.  Being calm and enjoying myself, I noticed that I wasn't even breaking a sweat.  I know this was due to my calm demeanor and attitude.  It was nice.

The fireworks have been bothering me a lot this year. (Long story, but related to a shooting incident that I witnessed)  While I was outside working on the food, a neighbor started blowing off the larger fireworks...the kind that you feel in your chest.  Instead of focusing on this, I noticed immediately, for the first time this year, the wonderful sounds of the cicada.  The waves of cicada calls took me on a journey allowing my focus and mindfulness to stay with these sounds and forget the larger booms coming from down the street.  I stayed calm inside and out.  I thanked the cicadas out-loud for taking care of me.

Dinner was nice.  Nice conversation and great food.  I am calm, thankful, and enjoying my holiday.

I hope you are all doing the same.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

Hiking memories

My wife and I went walking, well hiking, today in the State Park that we were married at13 years ago (September) .  Today is her birthday and to celebrate, we returned to the scene of the beginning of us.  We had a small Native American ceremony for our wedding at the Indian Caves of Matthiessen state park in Illinois so...this place is very important to us.

It was a little more full of people and their dogs than we would have liked.  It was also much warmer and muddier than we were hoping for.  But all in all, it was a wonderful experience.

What I noticed while we were there was the flood of memories.  It has been a long time since I was last there, but the memories were fresh.  When my wife and I decided to get married down in the lower dells of the park, my mother had just found out that she had lung cancer.  My mother was a real trooper and climbed the many many stairs.  She walked through the creeks and mud to make her way to the place that we decided was perfect for us.  She did it all...for us.

I remember being so proud of her and thankful when she finally made it back up the endless stairs.  I admit it...today when I got to the top of the stairs...I was winded and hurting.  This made my memories and thankfulness for my mother even stronger.

My mother left us due to lung cancer over 8-years ago.

So...

Today I actually celebrate the two most important women in my life.  My incredible wife on her birthday and my mother, who was always giving in any way that she could.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites

Six months of Habit

Well...

This post marks 6-months of consecutive daily posts here on my #Mindfulliteracy blog.  183 days of mindful mindstreaming as I notice the life around me.  This blog has become my writing habit.  It also has become my self-awareness.  It is clearly my reflection on life. It has become my routine and in a sense, my obsession.  This blog is my daily practice as I continue to write articles and make strides in my books.

Six months ago, I chose as my one-little-word, the word, Persist.  I wanted to stay with things and push myself.  I wanted to make commitments to myself and follow through.  I wanted to stop waiting and do...

I am not going to talk about or think about where I go from here.  I will set goals and work towards the goals.  I will continue on my writing journey as I have
for the past 183 days.  But I also will feel fulfilled in the fact that I did this.  I wrote for 183 straight days.  Some of it good, some of it, well... But I wrote.

According to the website: https://jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change

The 3 Rs of Habit Change
Every habit you have — good or bad — follows the same 3–step pattern.

• Reminder (the trigger that initiates the behavior)

• Routine (the behavior itself; the action you take)

•          Reward (the benefit you gain from doing the behavior)

I have to admit that I just found this today.  I am posting these 3-Rs because they fit my philosophy that I have adopted.  The reward for me has been completely personal and intrinsic.  I have not given myself prizes or rewards, but have simply kept myself motivated by the successes of the routine.

I strongly recommend this process....or any process that works for you.

Cheers to more work, more routine, and more writing.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy

@LevineWrites

Giving

Today, my wife and I spent three hours in the scorching heat on purpose.  We did this so that our local food pantry can have a decent amount of food through the summer months.

Was it worth it?

Yes!

As we stood in front of the grocery store this morning, people noted our commitment to the cause and gave what they could.  We ended up with a nice amount of money for the organization and a large tote that was overflowing with non-perishable goods.

People are good.  They care.  They are concerned about others.

In our current divisive state of affairs, it is an incredible feeling to know that there are people who care about the fate of others and are willing to stand up and help.

My favorite part of the day was the many parents that modeled the giving spirit to their children.  They would hand the donation to their child and let them put it into the bucket.  I love this because it teaches our children the feeling that one gets when they give.  There is joy and pride in giving.  You get to feel like a part of the bigger picture of positivity.

Be Mindful.

Peace.

Mark Levine

#Mindfulliteracy
@LevineWrites