I was scrolling through my Facebook feed today and one woman’s post that was reposted by a friend caught my attention. Maybe you’ve seen it already. A single mother needed groceries and when she couldn’t get them delivered the only other option was to go out and get them. Many of us, have someone at home who can watch the kids or have someone else that can do the grocery shopping for us. But, for this woman her only option was to take her kids with her.

The part of this post that I connected with the most was when she mentioned that the people at the store were judging her parenting choices after seeing her kids with her on this shopping trip.

If the people in the store knew the woman, I described above, was a single mom with no other option, then they may have been more supportive or understanding.

But, the reality is we NEVER know the whole picture and we almost never know someone’s prior challenges or circumstances.

This is why we NEED to make mindfulness practice a priority - especially right now.

What is mindfulness? I believe mindfulness practice begins with self-awareness:

• Am I conscious of my thoughts, feelings, & actions?

• Am I aware of how those thoughts, feelings & actions impact others?

We get so stuck in our view of the world and how we see everything it is hard to cast our judgments aside.

But, we CAN change with efforts. We can start today, right now.

If we practice greater mindfulness, then we can rally around a single mom doing her best to care for her family instead of burdening her with our judgments.

Be Radiant,

~Dr. Dimpi