September
Now is a time of gentle endings – saying good bye to summer time pursuits and getting ready for new beginnings. Perhaps another school year. Or just going back into your work or life with renewed vigour – brought about by the freshening winds. An opportunity to start again with new subject matter, to revitalize our knowing. It is also often an opportunity to meet new people, create new or change our existing relationships to reflect that we’ve grown.
Intention
First, what are our intentions in going into these relationships? Are these relationships in line with our overall values; are they nourishing to our spirit?
Are we entering into these connections for a mutually beneficial outcome?
Attention
Second, am I focusing my attention on this person(s) while in their presence. Listening with full attention is a gift that rarely occurs, since we are all coping with so many distractions. Have we brought a deep and penetrating attention to these connections?
Attitude
The attitudes we bring to our life and all the moments and encounters in it critically affect how we pay attention. Try practicing attitudes of acceptance, curiosity and warmth and you may discover a greater turning towards making new relationships and deepening of existing ones.
We may find that our connections benefit from a high quality of mindfulness, and our endings are not so final. These endings in fact may lead to new beginnings, chance encounters leading to great opportunities.