I Don't Need To . . .

Living gratefully today, I appreciate the human brain and the incredible things it does each moment of our lives. 

On a run late yesterday afternoon, I was applying mindful attention to the act of running. I have run thousands of miles on automatic pilot. Tuning into my natural surroundings. Absorbed in thoughts I was trying to work through. Adding up the miles and checking pace for training runs. 

I am always grateful for the physical ability to run, but it hasn't been that often when I have considered how amazing it is that I can run, that my arms and legs don't need to actually be told what to do once we get started on our runs together, unless I am telling myself to slow down or speed up. I don't need to tell my arms to pump and my legs to stride. I just start running.

How tedious it would be if every stride had to be directed. 

I don't need to tell my ears to hear or my nose to smell, they just do. 

It got me thinking about many other things I don't need to do either. 

I don't need to:

-dwell on yesterday, or things out of my control 

-judge others harshly

-raise my voice (most of the time anyway) 

-I don't need to do that load of laundry today, it will be there tomorrow

Our brains are magnificent, limitless. Our choices are also limitless. Today, I can focus on what I need and want to do. Take joy in the mundane. Bring mindful presence to small tasks. Onward!