Ive just spent a lovely weekend with some freinds learning about "mindfulness meditation" as a method of reducing stress - how luck am I to be invited to learn this stuff?
In a but shell, mindfulness is all about being present and attentive to the now - you can learn more about it at www.mbsr.co.uk I really liked it because it wasnt too frilly and fluffy and is something you can practice in amongst your normal busy and down to earth life.
But what has this got to do with building a Trike? well funny you ask that......
One of the great causes of stress is the way we tend to elaborate thoughts into "facts" and this weekend of meditation made it so clear to me how i unconsciously allow my mind to take a grip of my world which amazingly manefests in my physical wellbeing too! And having won the reliant on ebay on Friday night at a good price I found myself wondering why no-one else was pushing the bidding further?, and why had it been "relisted"?, and why did the "timewaster" that forced the relisting not take the car away? was there something about this car that i didnt know? etc etc. and before i knew it i had "invented" in my mind that this car was actually a write off and i was being suckered by an unscrupulous trader - he probably didnt even have the documents for the vehicle - this evil person was clearly planning to rip me off!
..... and then i learnt about mindful meditation and realised (and it seems obvious when i talk about it now) just how much of our thinking is pure fantasy and elaboration - and as a result a major cause of stress.
And so i took stock of my thoughts, my emotions and my bodily sensations - grounded myself back in the present, and calmed myself back to reality....... all i really know at the moment is that ive just bought the car that i want at the price i want - and im happy with that!