HOT

Damn, it's hot. Approaching the middle of the year and so far, so good for the Nashville Brinson clan. We are all healthy, happy and having a great summer. Adam has just gotten back from two camps in two weeks. The first was Scout camp and the second was Camp Horizon (for cancer survivors). He had a ball at both. It was great to see him be able to return to Horizon in such healthy form. Ironically we just came across a public service type deal he did when he was still in chemo. The difference is night and day. Check it out on my facebook profile page. Or click on this link. http://www.facebook.com/ext/share.php?sid=91414951558&h=TSXbx&u=dB8_h&ref=mf

Camille has finally decided that she loves the water and is very close to actually swimming. She is getting individual lessons this week in preparation for her first day camp at the YMCA Widjiwagan in two weeks. I will be spending every morning this week with her to take her to her lessons. Should be fun.

Our favorite festival, The Music City Hot Chicken Festival, fast approaches. It is on July 4th in East Nashville and is sure to be hot in more ways than one. Martha's sister Mary and bro in law Ben are taking the train to Memphis then driving over here; all to take part in Hot Chicken.

Martha and I saw Elvis Costello for the upmteenth time last week. He was playing with some really great musicians who call themselves the Sugarcanes. The band included Jim Lauderdale and Jerry Douglas. They played for three hours at the Ryman. We've seen EC so many times it 's hard to say which was the best performance, but this ranks way up on that list.

My friend John Shelton and I are taking our kids for a canoe ride down the Harpeth this Friday. Hopefully the water will be high enough to make it fully enjoyable.

As for me, my private practice seems to be doing well. It's still a novelty for me not to have to go in to a 'real' job every day and I am learning that I have more discipline than I thought but continue to view self discipline as my biggest challenge. I can where jeans to work, 'nuff said. Father's day was great. The kids gave me a turntable that can record vinyl to MP3s. Neat!

mindfulness journal

854-903:   Counted breaths, 1 to 10;  mind tended to wonder to how I would use mindfulness with clients this week,  brought attention back to breaths.  Remembered what Kabat-Zinn said about awareness and ‘proprioception’ and how I ‘know’ where my body is in space.    Also thought about not trying to breath deep but just breath and observe how my body knows to breath.   Kept on coming back to breaths.   Went a little longer than usual today.

 

Proprioception — from Latin proprius, meaning "one's own," and perception — is one of the human senses. There are between nine and 21 in all, depending on which sense researcher you ask. Rather than sensing external reality, proprioception is the sense of the orientation of one's limbs in space. This is distinct from the sense of balance, which derives from the fluids in the inner ear, and is called equilibrioception. Proprioception is what police officers test when they pull someone over and suspect drunkenness. Without proprioception, we'd need to consciously watch our feet to make sure that we stay upright while walking.

mindfulness journal

 

804-808:  with client:   focused on awareness of body in space; in contact with chair or couch, in addition to breath entering and exiting body.   During the practice I began a ‘body scan’ from feet on upward and lost focus on breath…..but that’s ok.    Some of my clients have found this a useful way to begin our sessions.   I think it’s useful for both of us.

mindfulness journal

948-954:   Counted breaths 1 to 10.   Attempting to focus on the awareness of air leaving and entering my body.   Interrupted by outside sounds and thoughts of today’s business.   Attempted to gently refocus on breaths.   Lost count and went back to 1 on a couple of occasions.   Also considered my body in space, in the chair, but detached as well.   Kept eyes closed mostly as a way of reinforcing focus on breathing.    Attempted awareness over thinking.   Still having a problem with this  concept.