Brain Bloom

The Playful Garden of my Mind

12 hours riding shotgun from Ann Arbor, Michigan to Greenville, South Carolina allowed my mind an abundance of “nothing” time.  In a lame attempt to harness and direct my frenetic brain, I was armed with my laptop, personal hotspot and IPod. My justification for these mind-sucking devices, “I’ll get caught up on my business accounting, sort through and resolve billing issues, maybe watch a couple episodes of “Tal TV.”  I have learned to appreciate the absurdity the Universe presents when I devise a plan to DO instead of BE.

Here’s what actually evolved.  After an hour of accounting/billing, my brain screamed. I joked, laughed, ka’veched with my husband and partner in all things silly, for two hours. I responded to email for another hour.  My mind begged, pleaded and eventually whined (in this really annoying tone) for respite. “OK, OK, enough!” I thought. “BE, HERE, NOW.”  In therapy terms this is called “one mindfully in the moment.” It refers to being fully engaged in the experience, not lamenting the past or worrying about the future.  I refer to this as, my mind at PLAY.

I became aware of the landscape.  I grew enamored by the beauty of golden round bales peppering a newly mown field.  My heart swooned with the magnificence of layer upon layer of mountains bathed in mist. The soothing, repetitive hum of tires on highway lulled me into a deeper space of relaxation.  I inhaled the scent of rain, which enhances the growth, and bloom of  the wildflowers around every turn. My mind began to hum a tune by the Indigo Girls “Now I know a refuge never grows, from a chin in a hand in a thoughtful pose. Gotta tend the earth if you want a rose.” My mind at PLAY comes up with amazing connections.

Since I began my Positive Psychology certification, I’ve searched for words to capture the depth richness and wisdom of this emerging field.  I latched on to the lyrics to another Indigo Girls song, “There’s no place like home and none more pleasin’, than the Southland in the springtime.”  I began to ponder, what is it that make the Southland in the springtime so very pleasing, so incredibly special?

My memory resurrects the 893 colors of spring green, the life energy in the spring air. Overnight flowers, plants trees explode in bloom.  Ah………BLOOM!  THAT’s what it feels like…..BLOOM!

Positive Psychology cultivates the perennial bloom.  It seeds our thoughts and emotions with positivity, gratitude and kindness. Positive Psychology feeds and nourishes hopes and dreams by respecting the gifts of failure, staying open to change and exploring growth.  It helps us prioritize time to savor the sun, the rain and simplicity of the moment.  Positive Psychology encourages consistent weeding of unhealthy conditioned beliefs and limiting patterns.  It engages in hybridization to explore unique potential AND honors the variety of inflorescence of our diverse garden.  Positive Psychology generously spreads its distinctive pollen to fertilize and nurture the bloom of others.  Over time it can shape the path of a magnificent Brain Bloom.