Mindfull

From a song about smoking pot, I have found a mantra to remind myself that nothing is more
important than supporting my own mental well-being. Although the context of the following
lyrics may suggest that people should be high all day, Sublime’s song “Smoke Two Joints” has
allowed me to find a mantra to remind myself that a healthy mental space should always be the
number one priority:
 

“Daddy he once told me
‘Son, you be hard workin' man’
And momma she once told me
‘Son, you do the best you can’
Then one day I met a man
He came to me and said
‘Hard work good and hard work fine
But first take care of head’”
 

I know the man in these lyrics is most likely a drug dealer, but I think he has a point. Too often I
stress myself out over working hard—in school, in my interpersonal relationships, in trying to
create the image of myself I want the world to see. But then I think of these words, and I
remember that it is fine to work hard, but first, I “take care of head,” which to me, means to care
for the state of my mind.

 

From the movie Vanilla Sky I’ve extracted another mantra. Too often we are told that “tomorrow
is a new day!” or that we can “start fresh tomorrow!” but I have learned from Penelope Cruz
that:
 

“Every passing moment is another chance to turn it all around,”
 

And now I see every second as an opportunity to start again. There is no need for me to wait
until tomorrow, or the start of a new week. I can choose to do something new and different in
this very moment. We all can.