The Mindfulness Blog

I'm reflecting upon the iconic rock-'n-roll song that the Lynard Skynard band recorded in 1973, and it was a doozy! It first hit the charts when I was in college-- need I say more?

Almost 50 years later, the final riff still gets me fumbling for my air guitar, but the preceding lyric gets me thinking about the idea of freedom a bit differently now, than then. When I was younger, I tended to think about most things more literally. Today, I think much more figuratively-- time has a way of affecting those kinds of things!

To the extent I used to think of it at all, the notion of freedom was pretty much exclusively a political idea. Today, it's a lot more personal and it requires a different kind of commitment-- freedom (for me) is happiness, which I find through mindfulness and meditation, and they both require frequent and consistent practice.

Being a truly free bird is not an easily achievable thing-- as a matter of fact, it's hard work. Spending time with my grandchildren has been particularly instructive in my endeavor to understand mindfulness, and has led me to realize that mindfulness is a natural ability we all possess; a state of awareness that is child-like, but not child-ish.

Mindfulness is the end I seek, and meditation is the means by which I train my brain to achieve that end (more about that in earlier posts discussing what I refer to as the, "let it go muscle")-- which is why I believe that mindfulness and meditation are important components of a well-balanced wellbeing initiative.

Wellbeing is a multifaceted concept-- physical, mental and emotional. In the midst of a raging pandemic that has already impacted the way people live their personal and professional lives, we have certainly learned that much. Those of us who have not learned that lesson, will not likely be around much longer, to argue the point.

Find your inner "free bird" and allow it to influence-- if not guide-- your judgment. Won't you fly-y-y-y, free bird!