By Jackie Woods
Middle School Counselor
We hope Mindful Mondays have taught you that when you bring kind and curious attention to your physical sensations, thoughts, and feelings it allows you to respond and choose your behavior rather than react. The skill of responding takes time and practice but has tremendous benefits. Responding invites you to calmly address conflicts with your loved ones, has the potential to decrease the chance you will say or do something you regret, and leaves you with more time, peace, and clarity about a difficult situation. With this in mind, please read the following poem written by Portia Nelson.
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters
Chapter One
I walk down the street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I fall in.
I am lost...I am helpless.
It is not my fault…
It takes me forever to find a way out.
Chapter Two
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hold on the sidewalk.
I pretend I don't see it.
I fall in again.
I can't believe I am in this same place.
But, it is not my fault.
It still takes a long time to get out.
Chapter Three
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I see it is there.
I still fall in...it’s a habit...but,
My eyes are open.
I know where I am.
It is my fault.
I get out immediately.
Chapter Four
I walk down the same street.
There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.
I walk around it.
Chapter Five
I walk down another street.
In my opinion, chapter three captures the essence of mindfulness practice, when Nelson states: “My eyes are open; I know where I am.” It is in our curious self-reflection and non-judgemental awareness where we can begin to awaken to ways in which we can choose to respond versus react. We sometimes get caught in a mindless loop of thinking and doing, and forget there are parts of our life that remain in our control where we have a choice to metaphorically “walk down another street”.
Jackie Woods’ Mindfulness Activity of the Week: Practice Your ABC's
The next time you are in a hole, or on the verge of falling into one, practice your ABC’s.
A: Acknowledge the situation
B: Breathe
C: Choose how you will respond, and explore what would happen if you made a different, possibly unfamiliar, but healthier choice.
Erin Thorkilsen’s Mindful Meditation of the Week: