Mindful Zoo

Just.Be.Enough is doing a link up this week that I am totally psyched about.  It’s called Be Enough Me: The NEW Things I Like About Me.  This concept of this link up goes back to what I talked about on this blog last November.  So many people emphasize “if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all” but have you ever notice yourself saying really, really mean things to yourself?  Things you would never say to a friend (or even a stranger)?  In other words, did you ever realize that saying also applied to YOU?

When my kids say something mean about a person or a dinner I’ve made, I try to make them say three thinks they do like about that person (or dinner).   I do this because I hope to cultivate a gratitude practice with them (and perhaps with the vain hope they’ll one day realize that tomatoes are not evil.)

So today, along with Just.Be.Enough, I’m saying good things to myself.   It’s gratitude practice in action.

Things I like about me:

1. I’m a survivor.
2. I’m a geek.
3. I can fix computer problems.
4. I can drive a car with a manual transmission.
5. I am proud of my body; it carried twins for 35 weeks and 2 days.
6. I tune in to my body and mind
7. I know the words to a lot of Broadway musicals.
8. I like to read.
9. I make year round efforts to improve my body, mind, health, and knowledge.
10. I’m proud of the job I’m doing as a mom.
11. I do a good job at work.
12. I love my family deeply.
13. I care that my weight is healthy, not a specific number.
14. Over the past year I’ve made an effort to discover new (to me) music and artists (thanks Pandora and Slacker!)
15. I’m not fucking afraid to swear.
16. I am not afraid to talk about my pro-gay marriage or pro-choice viewpoints on Facebook.
17. I love helping people.
18. I stopped being Catholic (see #16) and followed the religious/spiritual path that was right for me.
19. I’ve come a long way mentally.  I won’t say that I’ve conquered all my mental issues, but I will say that I’ve learned a lot about their care and feeding and living inside my head is much more enjoyable now.
20. If my brain can see something can be done – even if it can’t see all the steps in between – I will stop at nothing to get it done.  If plan A doesn’t work, or plan B, I will work my way through the alphabet (and again if I have to) until I get there.
21. I am stubborn (see #20)