It seems this time of year is pretty big for finding out what we will be doing in the year ahead. At least, that seems to be the trend in the news media. Lately, every other article talks about “What’s coming in the year ahead.” Trends. Movements. Styles. Health. Finances. More.
Last night, I read an piece about the “Mindfulness Movement.” Everybody is doing it. There are meditation apps. Big corporations have mindfulness workshops and meditation periods for their employees. Schools are integrating mindfulness practices into their schedules. Every where you turn, it seems someone is talking about being mindful. Well. Maybe not in Camden, Ohio. But everywhere else.
However. Now it appears to be coming under a bit of speculation. Whoever does the speculating, has released reports and studies, that say “Mindfulness” might be a bunch of hooey. The journal Perspectives on Psychological Science “argues that mindfulness research to date has been wrought by significant conceptual and methodological problems. For all the excitement about mindfulness meditation in contemporary culture, evidence of its benefits is limited.”
So there you have one side of the coin. My prediction is that this “trend” isn’t going anywhere. In a large part of corporate America, people are now getting paid to close their eyes, and be quiet for an hour. By earlier definitions, this was called napping. Like in Kindergarten, when we all rolled out our beach towels on the floor, laid down quietly for a lengthy period. And. Then. The Wake-Up Fairy came around and tapped us lightly with her wand. We got cookies after. Of course the workers at Microsoft, Exxon, and General Motors, love this. This fad is sticking around.
Another article I read just this morning was about food fads. The catchy title? “Top food trends in 2019: Get ready to meet your new favorite snacks.”
Let me just step to the side and say this. I am pretty fond of my old snacks. So when someone tells me I am about to meet my new snacks, my heart becomes heavy with a large dose of skepticism. Nonetheless. I pressed on with the article.
According to this report, the new trends for our eating habits in 2019 are filled with new prospects. First on the list was “Seed Butters.” This, is to replace the beloved “Peanut Butter.” They say, we can expect to see, and love, things like Pumpkin Seed Butter, and Watermelon Seed Butter. And I say, it is my hand that must lift the jar from the shelf in the grocery store, and place it in my cart. And I can predict that it won’t be happening.
Next good food item? Cactus Water. (I’ll save us both some time. Please see the ABOVE Paragraph.)
There were several others listed. But one standout for me was “Meatless Meat” in our 2019 diets. I’m having some anger issues over this one. I like my meat with actual meat in it. Also, historically, I’ve had my encounters with the likes of Tofu. How does the old saying go? “Tofu me once, shame on you. Tofu me twice, shame on me.”
I have lots of predictions for the year to come. For one, it will be much like the year we just had. Only with a nine on the end, instead of an eight. We all will encounter The Good. And The Bad. And even at times, The Ugly.
But my main prediction is this.
Each one of us is enough. I think sometimes we feel the pressure of being something grand, or having a higher purpose. The meaning. The way. But this is a tough gig, this being human thing. But when we live our “day to day” deals, we are really sharing our selves with others. Our energy and our spirit is touching the people around us in ways we will never know. And the ripple effect begins. Our kind hearts touch someone else’s life. And then on. Those people go out and touch the lives of many more people.
We each are part of this — the process of us.
And doing what we do in each moment, and doing it with goodness and compassion, is more than enough. And it is more than a trend.
It is being who we are. And that’s exactly what this world needs.
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“Just because it’s a trend should we do it?” ― Bert McCoy
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“Tweet others the way you want to want to be tweeted.” ― Germany Kent
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“Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.” ― Rumi
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