Day 19: Go for a walk and practice mindfulness

     Today is not an ideal day for a walk. It's summer in the Phoenix area. 100 degrees or more with monsoon season humidity levels do not make for ideal walking weather. It is a quiet day for me this afternoon to get alone and practice mindfulness.

     So what am I thinking during this time of "mindfulness"?  I'm thinking about where I'm at. I'm continuing to lose a little weight this week. The finances are in order. I just had both my husband and middle "child"/son home this past weekend. My daughter is enjoying her friends this week and her birthday is tomorrow. My oldest is home today so we had a chance to chat a bit at lunch. I love living in Arizona. I'm thrilled with my new church. I have great friends I see every week. I'm excited about starting college in a few weeks. I have a ten day vacation to the southern Caribbean in less than 2 months. My middle kid is also getting married in just over 2 months. My mother and brother will be moving here from FL in about 8 weeks. Life is pretty good. That's what I'm thinking. I'm taking time to see the good. To be appreciative. To be thankful.

     What else am I thinking? I'm thinking it's too early for as much traffic as I hear on the main road. I'm thinking the cicadas in the trees have been at it all day being noisy all week. I'm thinking about what I want to wear to watch the Cubs prospects play Rookie Ball tonight - I want to be comfortable in the heat, but not look like I'm there to pick up a 19 year old, LOL.  Yes, my mind wanders just like everyone else...

     Back to mindfulness. It's the second half of 2017 already and July is flying by. What do I want accomplished by the end of the year besides the above stuff going on? I want to be a better wife, mother, friend, daughter, sister, and women's leader/facilitator. I want to continue to lose weight and be healthier. I want to find something physically active I can do on weekends when it gets cooler. I want to finish about half a dozen books by then.

     What are YOU thankful for in your life today? What things could've gone horribly wrong but someone was looking out for you and it's turning out better than you expected? What do you need to work on in the next six months? What kind of person do you want to be? I'd love to hear YOUR responses.