B is for Begin
In fourth grade, I built a 4 story, 8 room doll house out of shoe boxes. I made all the furniture, drapes, flooring, and decor from scraps of whatever I could find around the house. All in one day. I didn’t plan or worry. No right or wrong. I had an idea and simply began. I spent my childhood in the practice of beginning—we moved every 2 years and with 4 kids and an entire house to unpack, I was left on my own to do most everything. I learned that I had an eye for arranging old furniture so it functioned in a new space—and looked pretty. I learned to begin new friendships, new activities, deal with new weather, and navigate new, local culture. I got to explore new cities, new foods and new ways to stay connected to old friends (pre-internet). As hard as moving was, I found myself endlessly curious (and thrilled) about all the newness life dropped in my lap. That part, I loved.
Image from Illustrator Marion LIndsey’s 3-D Art Club themed, “Doll’s house rooms from shoe boxes.” Find her website here.
Whether I was born with a “beginner’s mindset” or it was demanded of me through life experience, it’s become a toolbox containing all the life-tools I’ve acquired over time. The tools I reach for to empower myself to create. To keep trying. To notice and be grateful. To see beauty first. Tools that make building my life easier. Repairing and reimagining more doable. The most used tools in my life toolbox are (no surprise) breathing, moving, and journaling. Evidence-based. Accessible to all. Effective in minutes (even less) a day.
Imagine this: You want to practice living in a more mindful way. How and where do you begin? It’s a question I’m often asked. The answer I often give: Be a beginner.
Once a day, just once, breathe in and out through your nose, slowly, on purpose.
Pay attention to the breath. No judgment. No right or wrong. Just notice.
That’s enough. One breath. You’ve begun. Yay you!
The point is to begin. Not how you begin or where you begin or even why you begin. Just begin. Your breath is the tool that is 100% always with you. It’s always accessible. Always ready to support you. Begin with one breath. One time each day. Long and slow. On purpose. With curiosity and zero judgment.
My vintage hammer.
Which brings me to my actual toolbox. And a question I asked myself yesterday while painting my hallway: If I could only have one tool, what would it be? The level? The Phillips screwdriver? The flathead that’s great for opening paint cans? Maybe the tape measure. I use that a lot. I know what it is—my vintage hammer.
It’s pretty and lean for a hammer. Old. Has a history of helping long before I acquired it for $4 at a flea market. I always know where it is (not so much with the tape measure which tends to get left where last used). I bring my hammer out for all my home-projects, even when I don’t need it. I just like having it with me—the first tool I ever bought for myself. It reminds me to just begin.
Take one breath. That’s enough. Elizabeth
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This Week in Breathe Move Journal
JOURNAL
WHEN Today for 3 minutes. Choose your favorite tool (literal or life-tool) that is your go-to. Describe your tool and how you use it. What does it do for you? (There is no right or wrong answer!)
NEXT STEP: BREATHE Take one breath (slowly in and slowly out through your nose) at 3 different times today, on purpose (maybe before each meal). Notice what that’s like for you.
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Summer is a Great Time For Mindfulness
Pack your camper a Breathe Move Journal book as a treat! It can help them self-manage challenge, including anxiety and homesickness, and can increase their ability to regulate emotion when trying new things. Plus it’s fun and takes minutes a day!
BULK ORDERS of 10 or MORE CLICK HERE
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SHOUT OUTS
Thanks to Camp Happy Place (a camp for kids who have lost a parent to addiction) for providing campers with their own Breathe Move Journal books! Happy, mindful camping!
Thanks to The Montessori School of the Berkshires for 4 impactful professional development sessions with staff (and students) to learn more about implementing their Breathe Move Journal books into the school day and how to teach and use the mindfulness tools as part of daily interactions and learning. So much fun! Such a stellar group of learners and guides!
Thanks to the Berkshire Coalition for Suicide Prevention for making a supply of Breathe Move Journal books available to kids and teens in Berkshire County for free. Anyone who knows a child or teen who would benefit from receiving a book can contact the BCSP here. (Go to Contact Us and scroll down for the form).