Backwards glance to May 30, 2009

At the Ways of Knowing conference  (for info, visit website of Center for Spirituality and Healing at the U of Minnesota) I found myself often connecting the Salon experience I’ve been having with the things I was learning about mindfulness as a strategy for a healthy life. For three days, wise people from all over the country and other countries as well, taught us about the relationship between ways of being and well-being. So much was relevant for the nursing profession and pertinent to what we can do to heal ourselves and our profession.  Yes, even in the fact of working in a sick-system that seems to be taking forever to get on the right track.

The Salons kept coming up in my mind because of the depth of meaning experienced there, as well as the fact that being present seems to bring all of us a degree of peace not found often in the pressure cooker of health care. And that is desperately needed.

I learned mindfulness in and of itself is healing. Mindfulness involves intention, attention and attitude and opens the door for experiencing the deep truths that lie at the very foundation of our work. It is such noble work and we are privileged to be able do it. Being open to that truth changes the day to day experience of being a nurse.

In a few weeks, the entire conference will be posted on the website of the Center and I encourage everyone to watch for it.  Ciao.