I came across this great comment by dutchrick over at MetaFilter recently:
It took me a while but finally I have managed to bin my task lists. Like you Peach, I have my morning rituals in retirement. Mine begin before I leave the bed. First job to dispel the tangled thicket of dark thoughts and concerns by breathing, calmly and deeply. Then I rerun yesterday. What were the high points? What did I really enjoy? Find the pearl, the moment of beauty, truth or joy. Anything that touched me and moved me or was just plain old good fun. Maybe a moment or two of reflection on anything I didn't do so well, wished I'd done better. All the while on my back, hands folded over my belly and warm under the duvet. Now to today. What's the first good thing I will encounter? Ah yes, the smell of the coffee, I've got that new bag of good Java. My bowl of muesli. Did I get any bananas yesterday? No matter. The sweetness of the cold milk...... Anything I really fancy doing today? What am I reading? What music is in the queue? Any job it would please me to complete? Then thanks to God* for it all, for bringing me safely thru the night, for landing me safe and secure on the shores of a new day and another chance to live well and be a better man than yesterday if possible (*whoever she he or they may be or may not be - it matters not, giving thanks is important). It might take an hour but I've got plenty of those and I absolutely refuse to leave my bed until I am smiling and at peace. It never fails.
posted by dutchrick at 5:40 AM on April 1
I try to make a little list every day of things that made me happy the day before, and things I'm looking forward to. There are so many delights in a week, in most every day - really good food, whether simple or special; flowering plants, or even just leaves, green; a good book, a movie that made me laugh, or amazed me.
For things that didn't go well, I often try to identify what didn't go well and consider how it could go better. That focus on the whole - how something goes, whether it's set up to make it easy for things to go well - seems a little more helpful to me than just thinking about how I might have done better.
I feel like I could reach for this practice more often, a few times every day. I can get very caught up in my to-do list, my head wrapped around whatever thing I'm about to dive into; sometimes I miss the flit of a bird or miss out on the deliciousness of my dinner because I'm already moving on to my next tasks in my head.
I am glad for the reminder to be mindful of all the good fortunes in my days.
And the wisdom and perspectives I find on MetaFilter are among the many things that shimmer in my days.