October Moment of Mindfulness

Hello Everyone,

With living in Los Angeles thankfully there’s a ride-share program by the name of Access Para Transit that assists with providing curbside pick-up transportation for individuals with disabilities unable to drive and or utilize the metro public transportation system. Between the combination of having multiple pick-ups and drop-offs resulting from it being a ride-share program coupled with LA traffic sometimes I spend well over 3 hours traveling from one destination to another which normally would only take someone “Sighted” 30 to 45 minutes if they were driving themselves. This monthly Blog is not about that though I’ll save how I work with the feelings and thoughts of frustration and anger as a result of those 3 hour tours for another moment.

Instead, I wanted to share with you how on two different occasions during this month while talking to the Access drivers (something I make an effort to do on a regular basis in hopes of making time pass more quickly). In both of these particular conversations, the topic came up and I was eventually asked, “How are you handling your vision loss).

The answer might surprise you. I can honestly say that I have more overall Peace of Mind now that I am blind compared to the years in my life when I was fully “Sighted”. “How can this Be you might ask?” Losing my vision brought me kicking and screaming to the practice of Mindfulness. Learning Mindfulness skills helped with recognizing that most of my attention, time, and energy were directed at trying to control the physical world existing outside of me.

Unfortunately, these efforts were futile. Once I realized how little control I had over most of the objects and people in my environment the direction of my attention shifted inwards towards navigating the internal Universe that lies within. This radical shift in perspective and remembering to hold this orientation has made all of the difference towards my “bottom line” of equanimity. Equanimity is the mental ability to remain calm and relaxed no matter what’s going on (pleasant or unpleasant). I now invite you within your daily practice to begin to notice this tendency and if open to it recalibrate the direction of your attention to explore what I’m describing for yourself. Thank you for your time and attention.

Just Be & Be Well,

Eric Cooley, MSW, TMF