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This thread makes me think of a couple of people I've had the pleasure of knowing who are curious and fully open to anything that comes their way. They might have a worry, but generally face all new things with excitement. They even look at their flaws and gaffs with a sense of amazement and wonder.
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And, your comment and this thread makes me think of the Buddhist concept of the 'child's mind'.
When we are children, and we have not yet encountered something, we approach it with that curiosity and excitement...because it is new. We love learning and exploring the world. We love touching different things and seeing what they taste like. The world is literally our playground, and through playing we learn.
If we can try to experience small things fully, like we were a child trying it for the first time, that is essentially what mindfulness meditation is about. It REQUIRES being fully present, just taking each moment as it comes. I think Perna's idea about challenging our beliefs opens up an opportunity to get in touch with that child's mind.
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I would love to have some of that
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You can, because you once did. That means it is part of you.
And, now for my own story of challenging beliefs. I used to always say I hated washing dishes. Every day, the chore of doing the dishes seemed bigger. H and I would end up fighting about whose turn it was to do the dishes. Tired of this, I decided to try enjoying washing the dishes. I decided to look at the experience a new way. I like having a clean kitchen. I like accomplishing things. Every day, the dishes are an opportunity to accomplish something, feel good about myself, and brighten the home up.
Just changing how I think about it in my own mind has been huge. That attitude is slowly creeping itself into other areas of my life as I challenge those beliefs too.