Be Mindful Fife

25/01/2026

23/01/2026

Slowing down also helps to drop us into presence. When we slow our pace we have the potential to create the mental and physical space necessary to shift us from a mode of doing into a mode of being with whatever is happening around us. We can do this through single-tasking or focusing on one activity at a time, setting boundaries both for ourself and others and making sure that we remember to pause, feel the feet on the ground, the breath moving through the body and opening up to what it is we can see, smell, hear and taste.

https://mysilentplace.com/2026/01/19/slow-down-you-move-too-fast/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAPf-fJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEeahV_HmEBEftZTryKypK-LR4lTuFwPJZvWyeb8WY0lzz2Il_nASWQotgoagM_aem_U_xXMR96sTAEvOUh1Q5AQQ

As many of you know, and those who have been reading my blog will know, the last few years of my life have been difficult ones (to say the least). Life turned upside down with the illness and death…

22/01/2026

Perhaps of interest

Sometimes we can feel a bit lost or stuck in life’s journey. When anxiety, depression, grief, addiction, shame or trauma visit our lives, making sense of what’s happening can feel overwhelming. Even knowing where to begin can seem impossi...

19/01/2026

I keep pulling it out –
the old map of my inner path
I squint closely at it,
trying to see some hidden road
that maybe I’ve missed,
but there’s nothing there now
except some well travelled paths.
they have seen my footsteps often,
held my laughter, caught my tears.
I keep going over the old map
but now the roads lead nowhere,
a meaningless wilderness
where life is dull and futile.
“toss away the old map,” she says
“you must be kidding!” I reply.
she looks at me with Sarah eyes
and repeats “toss it away.
It’s of no use where you’re going.”
“I have to have a map!” I cry,
“even if it takes me nowhere.
I can’t be without direction,”
“but you are without direction,”
she says, “so why not let go, be free?”
so there I am – tossing away the old map,
sadly fearfully, putting it behind me.
“whatever will I do?” wails my security
“trust me” says my midlife soul.
no map, no specific directions,
no “this way ahead” or “take a left”.
how will l know where to go?
how will I find my way? no map!
but then my midlife soul whispers
“there was a time before maps
when pilgrims travelled by the stars.”
It is time for the pilgrim in me.
to travel in the dark,
to learn to read the stars
that shine in my soul.
I will walk deeper
into the dark of my night.
I will wait for the stars.
trust their guidance.
and let their light be enough for me.
Midday Meditation: Old Maps No Longer Work
by Joyce Rupp

19/01/2026

Most people don’t realize that life doesn’t repeat because of fate — it repeats because of loops.

This image shows two very different cycles we can fall into, often without noticing.

At the center of both is INTENTION.
Not the intention we say we have — but the intention we act from when things get uncomfortable.

🔁 The Victim Loop

This is the loop of unconscious living.

Something happens. A situation triggers discomfort.

Instead of facing it, we:

Ignore what hurts

Deny our role

Blame circumstances or people

Rationalize our behavior

Resist change

Hide from truth

And then… the same situation shows up again.
Different face. Same lesson.

The Victim Loop feels safe because it protects the ego.
But safety comes at a cost: stagnation.

Nothing grows here. Nothing heals here.
Only stories do.

🔁 The Accountability Loop

This is the loop of conscious growth.

The same situation arises — but this time, we choose differently.

We:

Recognize what’s really happening

Own our response, not the story

Forgive ourselves and others

Self-examine without self-attack

Learn the lesson

Take action, even when it’s uncomfortable

This loop doesn’t feel easy.
But it feels free.

Because every pass through it makes you wiser, lighter, and stronger.

⚖️ The Truth Few Talk About

Both loops begin with the same situation.
The difference is choice.

You don’t escape the Victim Loop by blaming less people.
You escape it by telling yourself the truth.

And you don’t enter the Accountability Loop by being perfect.
You enter it by being honest.

🌱 A Gentle Reminder

Accountability is not punishment.
It’s self-respect.

Forgiveness is not weakness.
It’s clarity.

Growth doesn’t happen when life gets easier —
It happens when you get braver.

Ask yourself today:
Which loop am I feeding — and which one is feeding me?

Because the moment you change your loop,
your entire life trajectory shifts.

14/01/2026

While ultimately we have no control as to exactly how our lives will go, it is the small actions that we take that shape things. And if we can remain open and curious and maybe even a small bit unattached to outcome and the need to control, we might be able to flow like the river, carried by the surprise of our own unfolding. Wouldn’t that be wonderful?

There is a beautiful poem by John O’ Donohue called “Fluent”. It is not long. It’s simply: I would love to live Like a river flows, Carried by the surprise Of its own unfolding. I can still remembe…

06/01/2026

As always, I hear the words of the great Mary Oliver ring in my ears:

tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?

These words act as a compass for me, any time of the year.

What IS it that I plan to do with my one wild and precious life?

And am I doing it?

https://mysilentplace.com/2026/01/05/one-wild-and-precious-life/?fbclid=IwdGRjcAPJ7fJleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEerEsEDKszTkmy9Zr8gFjaPv017GFXOsiEfZDd9mKiXzrIVw9MMDyfszAHcM8_aem_KlBNthRadgmHbHHR-_37-A

As I sit down to my 2026 desk, it’s hard not to notice the sentimental feelings of new beginnings that come with the new year. I know that these feels will slowly melt away into the ordered schedul…