Column: Erin Gustafson, Paths to Peace

My extended family has a New Year’s tradition that instead of coming up with a resolution for the upcoming year, we come up with a word that describes what we want for the year. Some of them are funny, some of them are traditional and some of them are more thoughtful.

My word for 2011 was “mindful.” I have found that it is a word that works in all areas of my life. I have also found it to be very difficult to be mindful at all times.

It is so easy to go through the motions day to day. Wake up, get dressed, breakfast, get the toddler dressed, pack lunches, drop off said toddler at day care, work, pick up toddler, dinner, bedtime stories and bed. Repeat five times a week. Routine is what keeps me organized and prepared for each day.

This year I have been trying to go through those actions, but while doing them, being mindful of what I really want to accomplish while doing that particular act. This has allowed me to get rid of things that are not important in my life, as well as get greater enjoyment out of the things I do keep.

For example, when reading my 21-month-old daughter, Audrey, her bedtime stories, I, of course, want her to start calming down, and get ready to go to sleep.

However, I also want her to develop a love of reading and learning. I want her to enjoy the coziness of us snuggling together reading books. I want her to know that she is loved, cared for and safe.

As we are snuggled on the couch with her in her footie pajamas, I remind myself of what I want to accomplish while reading to her. This has made our evening routine even more enjoyable.

When at the grocery store, a fairly mundane task, I try to get in and out as quickly as possible. This year, I have been trying to be more mindful of my food choices.

When purchasing a product, I look at the packaging, and try to figure out where the packaging will ultimately go. Can the packaging be reused? Composted? Recycled? Or will the packaging end up in a landfill for a hundred years?

I try to buy food items that have as little packaging as possible and try to be mindful of future generations who will have to deal with my cereal box wrappers. This of course takes extra time, and makes the trip longer, but I feel as if it is worth it. (As an added bonus, since the new year, and my more mindfulness of where our trash goes, we have been able to compost/recycle or reuse about 75 percent of what we throw away.)

Perhaps the hardest thing for me to be mindful about is my thoughts and judgments. It is so easy to jump to quick judgments about a person or situation. We do it so quickly. We see someone, and automatically think we know the situation. Not only do we think we know the situation, we think that we know the person, and base our whole opinion of the person on that one time.

In my attempt to live a more mindful life, I try and catch myself when I am judging or thinking negatively about another person. I remind myself, I am not that person! I am not in their situation. And most importantly, I have no right to cast judgment on them.

Instead, I try to be sympathetic to the situation. I try to put myself in that particular person’s shoes, and try to see where they are coming from.

As I continue to be more mindful of my thoughts and actions, I hope that I can teach Audrey to live a mindful life. I hope that as she grows up, she is mindful of the affect her actions, thoughts and words have on her surroundings. I also hope that the more mindful she is, the more she will enjoy her life.

I have enjoyed the challenge so far this year of living a more mindful life. I feel that it has been a challenge that I needed to do for myself. I am by no means perfect and feel as if this is something I can continue to work on for years to come. Perhaps for 2012, I will live on the wild side and have two words: mindful still.

Erin Gustafson is a special education paraprofessional at Albert Lea High School. She lives in Albert Lea with her husband and daughter. She can be reached at eringustafson@live.com.