Mindful Driving

Now that I am commuting from Culpeper to school and work in Fairfax I have been driving A LOT more than usual (and a lot more than I like).  I decided to start a new practice however out of this and it has turned out to be very relaxing and meditative for me.  I have decided that for every 1 hour trip I make, for 15 mins I turn off my music, and simply try to take in everything around me.  I notice the flowers and other plants growing on the sides of the roads, the way my car handles itself, the quality of the roads, the sounds of cars going by and everything going on around me as I drive.  It is really interesting for me because I've realized how much I block out when I am focused on driving and distracted by my music and brain chatter.  

Mindful Computer Time

So for the past 2 weeks I have been quote-unquote "homeless" but have been doing very well and feel like I am finishing my semester pretty strong.  The problem has been keeping access to my computer and internet and staying up to date with my work.  I have found that not having internet where I am staying has made me really straighten up and go to starbucks and really settle down and focus.  I am not a victim of endless facebook searching or mindless internet clicking and I feel like it has been a good process for me to understand what is important and what is a waste of time when it comes to my favorite piece of technology.  I am calling my starbucks time 'mindful computer time' and though it is an interesting thing to observe about myself I am looking forward to a time when I can relax and be settled somewhere.

Final post

I feel like our work together has been really good. We all had a busy semester with our stuff going on in our lives and have struggled a bit throughout the semester with classes. I feel like although this is the end of our class and the semester; some of our group members are graduating and starting new chapters and like myself, almost there. I don't feel like this is an ending to our well being practices. Our practices are for our health , focus, enjoyment and well,our well being . I feel like I will do some meditation breathing exercise to help me focus and mentally be calm and keep an open mind during times of stress. I will be continuing my practices of mindful eating and being mindful with my work outs, as well as continuing with yoga , and enjoying nature. I feel the focus from my practices will overall help me with my optimum spirit, being a calm , focused, healthy, and over all enjoying nature and the sights and sounds it has to offer.