Struggling With Mindfulness

 


My struggles with practicing mindfulness continue…!

Today I had an unpleasant revelation of sorts. You see, the kid writes his homework in the evening. I sit beside him and try to blog. The kid does everything except write. He talks about everything under the sun… actually, this is not precise. Since he too is an astronomy-lover like me, he talks about everything over, above, beside and under the sun. (Just today he had a question – What will happen if a giant sphere of 3000 degrees C strikes another giant sphere of -3000 degrees C? Which one will win? The mystery remains unsolved. Answers are welcome and desperately wanted!)

So in 20 minutes, he has had his bathroom-break, drinks-break, his pencil-break (the tip of his pencil has to be uber-sharp, which means, he sharpens the same after every two words and of course, the thin tip doesn’t survive the tremendous pressure that he exerts while writing. So needless to say, pencil-breaks are much ahead in the race of ‘breaks’.) He has flipped his eraser a thousand times to get his ‘Dude-Perfect’ moment – a moment when whatever he flips, lands perfectly and stands well-balanced.

On the other hand, I am trying to blog. I am also trying to ignore his antics. Also trying to make him write. So many tasks at the same time. Any guesses which one I managed to do? None of these. Zilch. Nil. Instead, I and my kid have our Epic Fight Of The Day. Words are exchanged, threats are unleashed and the result is an angry 8-going-on-18 boy furiously scribbling his ‘homework’ and I, the aspiring blogger, seething in frustration on having lost the link of the blog that I wanted to write.

Whose fault was this? Not the kid’s. He was just being his 8 year-old self. Much later when tempers had cooled down, I reminded myself about how I fared as a kid. The comparison made me want to hand out an Oscar to my boy. He is doing much better than I did as a kid! It wasn’t my fault either. (Ssshhh, please let me believe this!) I am a parent, but first of all I am a human. There is only so much that I can take or tolerate!

The fault was with multitasking. Do I need to blog when it is time for the kid’s homework? I don’t have to do that. I can devote that time to give complete attention to the kid, enjoy his antics, appreciate his ‘Dude-Perfect’ moments and make the homework a joyful process. Duh. Who am I kidding? Which kid has ‘enjoyed’ homework in the history of mankind? At least, I can reduce the Epic Fights and Threats and Exchange of Words during the whole process.

So this is a new item on my to-do list – When it is time for the kid’s homework, set aside all other tasks.

And talking about to-do lists, this is something new that I am attempting to make my days smoother and easier. A to-do list helps me feel more organized and in control of the day. The to-do list is currently limited to recipes and Kolam designs for the next day. The list has solved the ultimate question of all time – what to prepare for breakfast / lunch / dinner. I enjoy checking new recipes and trying them out. They turn out fine. (Believe it. Accept it. The new recipes turn out fine. End of story). It is also fun to see new Kolam designs and try them out in the morning at the entrance of the house. They turn out fine. (Believe it. Accept it. The designs turn out fine. End of story).

The efforts are on to introduce a little bit of meditation in my day. Unless done in the privacy of the bathroom, I don’t think the attempts will succeed. In a single minute, the kid hollers out to me a thousand times. Meditation indeed seems a herculean task in the current scenario.

My struggles with mindfulness will continue! Hoping to hear about your trysts too, dear readers!

 

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