“I don’t understand what’s happening.”
Reading : Read chapters 13-18. Do so in a way that honors your reading process, that honors you as a person.
Kind Action : Bring enhanced mindfulness to at least one activity or chore you do on a daily basis. Don’t try to understand or analyze it, just bring mindfulness to it. This can be washing the dishes, brushing your teeth or anything that you might find yourself completing on “auto-pilot.” Pay attention to the action, even marveling at everything that must come together to allow you to, for instance, brush your teeth.
Storytelling : Consider an experience in your life that has puzzled you, ideally, something that defied explanation. Tell that story in three concise paragraphs, resisting the temptation to justify it in any way.
Comments Section : Try two things this week. First, if you’re willing, please share with us your story from the storytelling section. In a second message, share something interesting to you, maybe even surprising, about your experience in this class so far.
Kind Living 
In January of this year I had a very bad car accident. I’d just dropped my son to school, and was driving home – in the rain. As I came cautiously around a bend, I was faced with banked back traffic…. so I hit the brakes. Which then locked up. And I started to aquaplane.
I was left with a split second decision – hit the car in front of me, or take a chance and mount the median strip in the middle of the road. I chose the latter. As I hit the curb, my airbag deployed. Leaving me travelling along – rapidly – with absolutely no vision. I came to an abrupt halt – courtesy of a tree – which my car hit head on.
I walked away from that accident with literally not a scratch. My car was a complete write-off. As was the tree ;-). And most remarkably – my car had come to a stop dead centre on the median strip … as if I had parked it there carefully (which my friends travelling some distance behind thought I had… until they saw the front of it). Another few inches and I would have gone over the median strip and into oncoming peak hour traffic.
I think this is my eighth Practicing Kindness class, but my responses this time are noticeably more open, tender, and loving. I am more emotionally impacted when I read the stories of others, including Andy’s. I can only surmise that I have moved into another stage of kindness development. Either that, or I am just in a different place and am more vulnerable right now. I have been having some issues with “anxiety” which sometimes seems to almost overwhelm me. I think the class is grounding me, helping me put my worries in perspective. I feel a tremendous amount of support from my fellow participants. Thank you all for the depth of your posts and your loving comments.
That is so beautiful Linda ♥. I too struggle with anxiety – and since my partner ended our relationship it has overwhelmed me. So I truly understand and sympathise. Anytime you need someone to talk to, or a friendly ear, please PLEASE get in touch. I would love to be there to support you. Love & blessings, Megan
Thank you Megan. I have just visited your lovely website. Perhaps we can share some thoughts on anxiety and how to cope with it….
I think that’s a wonderful idea Linda! Anxiety can be so incredibly debilitating – and it can be hard to understand that fully unless you have been through it yourself.