Recently my family and I have had several new beginnings in our life: a move to another country, to another house, to a completely different life. A new way of family life. First day of school in a new school and in a new language. More space here, less storage there. Clearing out, screwing together, stowing away, getting rid of. And there is always something new every day, be it a defective computer or a doctor’s appointment. We have been preparing for this time of change with all the paper work and emotionally – the latter especially together with the children.
It was a big change that had previously (and still does) cost us a lot of effort, especially because of the small people who needed our presence to understand and handle all the new things around them. We often told ourselves that it was a transitional situation and at some point everything would have found its own rhythm and the move would be finished.
But to be honest, can something ever be finished?
No, nothing is ever really finished. The mindful attitude to life sees everything as a new beginning. Everything is fresh, has never been there, and the invitation here is not to lose sight of the beginner’s mind. Staying open, staying curious, not having too many plans and expectations of how something should be. Each breath is a new beginning, every morning is completely fresh and unique.
“There is no difference between weekend and weekday, between normal days and holidays: there is only sunrise, sunset, sunrise, sunset. Treasure and enjoy. ”
This saying from the internet brings it to the point. There are no special situations, no transitional phases, no exceptions, after all goes as planned. The mindful way of life considers every day, every moment as something completely new, and only an open and curious heart is able to do justice to the fullness of life. Only with this unrestricted presence, of taking life and every moment as it is, only then is it really possible not to be overrun by the waves. Of course it can be helpful to plan projects such as a move as best you can. But it is important not to forget that things often turn out different than planned and that mindfulness can help immensely by accepting everything with a friendly and interested presence.
This inner confidence and knowledge of being at ease with everything that exists can be a solid rock in the turbulent waters of life, especially when facing big changes. I try to cultivate this attitude through regular meditation and mindfulness practice.
This is a lifelong task and there is no end to it. There is only sunrise and then sunset, and again sunrise, and in between an infinite number of moments, of life itself.