The Power of the Mind.

Chris and I watched a documentary on Clint Eastwood tonight - who turned 80 yesterday, by the by, and what more appropriate day for him to do so than on Memorial Day?  You can tell that the documentary was made very recently, as it even included his recent movie Invictus.  What struck both of us is how sharp he still is, both in mind and body.  It got us talking about why that is.  Why is Clint in so much better shape than many others who are 10, 20 or even 40 years younger?

My theory is that Clint seems fully present in the now.  When you hear him speak, he does not lament, he does not regret, he does not worry and stress.  He just is.  He accepts that everything has happened, and will happen, regardless of how much or little he tears himself up over it.  I'm not sure I have the capabilities to convey just how much I admire that in someone.  I, up until now, have been fully the opposite.  I regret decisions I made years ago.  I spend time wondering if, had I made better, more healthy choices in my life, could I have prevented my illnesses?  I ruminate for hours on what the future holds, and what I'm not doing right that may effect the outcome for ill.  I spend more time fretting about not working out than actually doing it.  I live most of my life in stress - about money, about family, and about what people think of me.  Chewing my nails down to nubs and smoking are two physical manifestations of the turmoil that is raging within me.

I fully believe that the mind is so powerful,  it can ultimately destroy you from the inside out if not kept in check.  I have no doubt that the sickness in my body has resulted from the sickness of my brain.  Though I have worked for years to quiet these inner demons, I realize I am not home yet.  I can only continue to try.

Happy belated, Clint, and thanks so much for so many years of wonderful entertainment!

Eckhart Tolle:

"Unease, anxiety, tension, stress, worry — all forms of fear — are cause by too much future, and not enough presence. Guilt, regret, resentment, grievances, sadness, bitterness, and all forms of nonforgiveness are caused by too much past, and not enough presence"

"When you are present, you can allow the mind to be as it is without getting entangled in it. The mind in itself is a wonderful tool. Dysfunction sets in when you seek your self in it and mistake it for who you are"

◦"The mind is a superb instrument if used rightly. Used wrongly, however, it becomes very destructive. To put it more accurately, it is not so much that you use your mind wrongly—you usually don't use it at all. It uses you."

◦"The psychological condition of fear is divorced from any concrete and true immediate danger. It comes in many forms: unease, worry, anxiety, nervousness, tension, dread, phobia, and so on. This kind of psychological fear is always of something that might happen, not of something that is happening now."