The Health Activist Writer’s Month Challenge

WEGO is a network of over 100,000 bloggers, tweeters, pinners, and Facebookers who utilize their social media presence to advocate and share information about health. For the month of April they have challenged their members to write a blog everyday of April and have posted prompts. While PSYowa won't be posting everyday I decided to post a blog with one of their prompts. For any of you who have health related blogs check out their website for more information about the blog challenge.

Today's prompt: "What is an item you have kept with you that reminds you of an important time in your life?

Whether it was a good day, a stressful time, or a happy moment… why does this item remind you of that period of your life?"
One item that I have had with me since I was a little girl is a watch that my mother gave me that hangs on a chain. It was a gift she received as a girl from her parents that she passed on to me. My mother's family did not have a lot of money and there were 9 children, so gifts like this were very precious. There are multiple reasons that this is an item I have kept with me. For obvious reasons it reminds me of my mom who has been one of my biggest supporters. It also reminds me to to value and take time to enjoy the gifts I have been given.

I think the watch also reminds me to appreciate that time is short. It prompts me to remain in the present as much as possible and to think about the ways that I can live my life in the most meaningful way in the present moment. In a way it is my prompt to practice mindfulness - or as Jon Kabat Zinn would say "paying attention to the present moment on purpose without judgement."

If you would like to practice a little mindfulness yourself take a moment today and pretend for a second that you are an alien who has dropped in from Mars and you are experiencing what ever you are doing for the first time. Take in the sights, sounds, feelings, thoughts, smells, and tastes like you have never experienced them before. If your attention starts to wander that is okay. It is perfectly normal for a mind that hasn't been trained to stay in the present to wander. Just gently lead your mind back to what you are focusing on.