I'm right here, sweetheart ...

... and of course, I’m lined right up to share yet another Happy Habit. It’s called “I’m right here, sweetheart”. (No, that is not a misprint!) This isn't a meditation, it’s more of a ... Moment of Redirection. It only takes a few seconds, and I tell you, it always makes me feel better, despite whatever might be going on in front of me (or in my head).

First, think of someone that you find extremely comforting, loving and non-judgmental. This could be a person you know, live or dead; it could be a historical or fictional figure. In other words, it could be Winnie the Pooh, Jesus, your best friend, Buddha, Batman, your dead grandmother, Oprah or your dog. It could be an angel or fairy or however you picture your higher self. Whoever you choose, it should be someone that makes you feel warm and cozy and safe and accepted when you think of them. (I have a friend who would seriously pick Batman. I’m not kidding.)

So, let’s say you’re having a moment. A very unpleasant moment. You feel stressed, or angry, or unconfident, or sad, or confused. Now, just close your eyes and take a deep breath and stop. Imagine the person you’ve chosen. As vividly as you can, imagine them coming right up behind you and wrapping their arms around you. And now they rest their head gently on your shoulder and whisper in your ear, “I’m right here, sweetheart”. Take another deep breath. Don’t forget the “sweetheart”; it’s the best part.

That’s it. I find that this can really push a ‘reset’ button for me in a big way when I’m off kilter for any reason. I remember … oh yeah, I’m really not alone! And I’m okay no matter what’s going on! Which is a good thing to remember at any given moment, I’d say.

Happy March! Please feel free to comment, or write to me at mj@5minutestoabetterworld.com. Keep practicing, whatever your practice is. I’ll see you in the hammock!

Love, MJ

Gettin' in the hammock ...

Greetings! And welcome to my monthly column. Yay! Those of you who are familiar with me are well aware that I am usually a veritable font of endless suggestions of ways to make yourself feel better (and therefore improve everything around you). Now, I admit that this may be an annoying attribute at times, however, taken in small doses and at the right moment, it can actually be quite helpful! My intent here is to put forth a Habit of the Month – and we’ll see what happens! First, a brief lecture as to why we should develop Habits. (Please picture Pollyanna up on her soapbox for this part.) The fact is that we are full of Habits; some are to our benefit, some are not. The more Habits we can develop on the plus side, the better. The intent behind these Happy Habits is to distract us thoroughly from the usual nattering garbage that goes on in our minds much of the time. And after just a little while of employing these Persistent Happy Habits, life starts to look pretty darned good most of the time. Take heart, we are retraining ourselves! Okay, end of lecture. On to the first Habit! In honor of the name of this column, our Habit for this month shall be ... Gettin' In the Hammock. This is from a meditation that I accidentally made up recently, which I began by closing my eyes and imagining that I was in a hammock swinging gently back and forth, staring at the clouds. I mean, seriously, what could be more relaxing than actually doing that? This has graduated to a hammock made of stars – well, more like Christmas lights, really. And I’m just swinging back and forth, smiling … then I add in my husband … my kids … my dog … my friends … people I’m mad at … then sometimes we all start singing ‘Aaaaaaaah’ or something pleasant, and everyone is smiling and being their Best Selves. Try it! Make up your own variations. Give it five minutes a day. Check in with me next month. And meanwhile, if someone is being unpleasant with you … close your eyes and put ‘em in the hammock. Please feel free to send me your thoughts, suggestions, or complaints. On second thought, forget the complaints. Love, MJ

Here we go!

Please be patient, I'm in progress! Hilarious and (possibly) uplifting insights soon to be coming this way.....