Mindful Children

A few weeks ago I visited Glasgow to watch the showing of the Studio Ghibli film, The Wind Rises.

The weather wasn’t too good, so I decided to grab a seat in the theatre’s cafe and read my book.

I didn't intend on sitting there for two hours, but that’s what happened. I was quite content watching people come and go, in and out of the movie theatre. Some were anticipating the film they were about to see, and others were sharing experiences of the film they had just seen. All the while, I sipped my coffee, read my book and occasionally looked at my watch to make sure I didn't miss the 16:40 showing.

Two elderly women sat down at the table next to me. With them were two boys of about nine years old. Who the women were in relation to the boys, I don’t know.

The boys started to colour in a colouring book whilst the women spoke about wine and the latest results on The Voice.

I drifted off into the world that my book provided me with. All of sudden, they started to talk about (it probably wasn’t all of a sudden at all, but for me this topic of discussion came from nowhere) . . . . meditation and mindfulness.

My eyes were focused on the page in front of me but weren't absorbing anything whatsoever. My ears, on the other hand, were on high alert.

One of the women said, ‘I just can’t do it. My mind won’t calm down. I have too many thoughts – it’s hectic. I just don’t know how he does it.’

Then this is where it got interesting. One of the boys said, ‘I’ll tell you how I do it.’

The ‘he’ the woman was referring to was one of the kids!

The boy continued, ‘When a thought comes, I just let it go. Like a cloud. I watch them and don’t grab onto them. Then they just disappear.’ He then went back to his colouring.

Amazing!

It turns out that these boys were being taught mindfulness and meditation at school.

That’s fantastic.

Every school should include mindfulness and meditation as part of the national curriculum.

As the Dalai Lama said, ‘If every eight year old in the world is taught meditation, we will eliminate violence from the world within one generation.’

It sounds far-fetched, but imagine if it’s true!

I know some schools have already introduced such methods in their daily routines. Like sitting in silence, eyes closed, for a few minutes before class starts. Or doing a few minutes at the end of the day.

I’ve just read this interesting article from last year. It was published in The Guardian and was written by Andrew Jones who is the head of religious studies and sociology at a Goffs School in Hertfordshire.

http://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2013/jun/10/meditation-mindfulness-schools-stress-calming-classrooms

Oh look, more clouds.

Killing Time

Time  - do we really have enough of it to kill?

Some simple calculations massively changed my perspective of the time I had here on this amazing planet.

1. If I live till I'm 80 years old, from the moment I was born, I was assigned approx 29,200 days. 
2. This is also the approximate number of sunrises and sunsets that are available to see.
3. If I live till I'm 80 years old, from the moment I was born, I was assigned approx 4160 weeks.
4. This is also the approximate number of the amount of weekends I will have. 
5. If I live till I'm 80 years old, from the moment I was born, I was assigned approx 960 months.
6. This is also the approximate number of full moons I would get to see (if I remembered to look up).
7. If I live till I'm 80 years old, from the moment I was born, I will get to see approximately 320 springs, summers, autumns and winters (although the winters could do with being less . . .)   

Your reaction to these simple figures will depend on your perspective of life and ultimately yourself.

I know so many people who talk about writing a book - who talk about starting a blog - who talk about starting a business - who talk about enrolling on a course . . . but they're just empty words because they're not backed up by action. 

The majority of those people, once those words have been expressed, sometimes with passion and determination too, get buried beneath idleness, doubt and ultimately fear.

I've lost count of the amount of people who say such things, but when they go home they sit in front of the TV or computer all night, watching videos, TV series and playing on computer games. Now, I'm not against these things, each to their own. We all have our ways to relax. But it's when those same people complain about and/or mock those of us who are trying to make the most of our time here, that pisses me off. Those of us who have looked at the figures above and said, 'Shit . . . I don't have much time left. I'm going to do it!' . . . whatever that may be. Yet, when things start to go well and fit into place for those of us who make the effort, the idle ones sit back, the TV screen shimmering on their faces, and they say, 'They're lucky.'

It has nothing to do with luck.

It has everything to do with desire, ambition, determination, self-belief, faith and tenacity.

 . . . BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE PROBABLY LESS THAN 4000 WEEKS TO MAKE AN EFFORT!

By the time they've finished watching all of Breaking Bad, they could've finished the first draft of their first book - easily.

By the time they've completed the new Grand Theft Auto, they
could've started up a blog and be having thousands of hits . . . possibly a blog about computer games, which could be earning them a second income.

By the time they've finished watching meaningless videos on youtube and vimeo, they could've enrolled on a course . . . they could've even completed it and be walking on a new improved path.

Do NOT kill time - it is murder.

I was shown a postcard yesterday. It was written by a boy of six years old. It read:

"Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery, but today is a gift. That is why it is called The Present. Make the most out of each day."

He might've got it from Kung fu Panda, but who cares!?

Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick Tock Tick TockTick Tock Tick TockTick Tock Tick TockTick Tock Tick

www.gavinwhyte.co.uk

Life's Little Pokes

So, after embarking on the vast mission of learning Mandarin through the traditional system known as Zhuyin (also known as Bopomofo), instead of Pinyin, I've decided to do a TEFL course in preparation for my Taiwan trip.

If you don't already know, TEFL stands for Teaching English in a Foreign Language.

As a rule of thumb, if something gets brought to my awareness three times or more, I take it as a sign that I need to give it more attention. It's like Life is saying, 'Listen to me, will you!!'

TEFL got brought to my attention three times and more.

So I trusted the nudge and signed up.

It has cost me £299 for a weekend course (which ends in a certificate) but because I don't have a degree in English, I thought it would be wise to also complete the 120 hour online course.

This is the link I used: http://www.uk-tefl.com/courses/Leeds?gclid=CIuTn_iK5LwCFRDLtAodpDsAZA

I'll report back my experience after the weekend.

Teaching English in Taiwan wasn't originally part of my plan (I say my plan, may be it was always part of Life's plan). I'm remaining open-minded though, happy to flow along with Life's nudges. Trusting Life takes a lot of faith, but I've found that the more I trust -
the more faith I have in Life's plan, that Life tends to treat me like a best friend; constantly bringing opportunities to my door, helping me move forward, which leads to growth and expansion.

I'm starting to realise how fortunate I am to have English as my mother-tongue.

After all, if you can speak English and Mandarin, you can speak to over half of the population of the planet - pretty cool, eh!

Check out this Westerner known as Dashan. He's relatively unknown in the West, and his popularity in the East can be put down to his ability to speak Mandarin better than even some Chinese people. I'm determined to speak as fluently as this guy:

Inspiring: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WseemkcbXxs#t=122

Pay attention to those nudges - Life's little pokes.

www.gavinwhyte.co.uk

Old Dog - New Tricks

I'm not one to shy away from a challenge.

It's for this reason that I've taken it upon myself to learn Mandarin.

Not only do I intend to learn Mandarin, but I'm putting aside the romanisation system known as pinyin and focusing on the traditional characters and way of reading them, known as Zhuyin.

Why would I put myself through such torture at the age of 30?

After all, you can't teach an old dog new tricks, right?

Wrong.

You can teach a dog new tricks if it's willing to learn them, regardless of its age.

Language has never been my strong point (the irony of a writer, I guess). I didn't start speaking till I was four years old. My parents said I made up my own language, and in my sleep I spoke in tongues. At school I hated studying French and German - opting to focus on German as I found it resembled English that little bit more.

So why have I decided to learn Mandarin, when I thought I had put all the 'language learning days' behind me?

I mean, I've always been drawn to the East. I've been a martial arts buff since I was knee-high. Bruce Lee has been my idol for as long as I can remember - even more so when I started to read his books and understand him as a philosopher, rather than a guy who only kicks ass on screen.

(Growing up, I knew my Nan shared the same birthday as Bruce Lee. I told her and she found it quite amusing and I found it cool. When she died in July, the date seemed somewhat familiar to me. And the reason was because she died on the same day as Bruce Lee, too. It may mean nothing, but to me it forges a connection to the guy who still inspires me to this day.)

Because of Mr Lee, I was drawn to Eastern thought and philosophy. I enjoyed watching documentaries about the East and even loved watching the Chinese cooking programs. I started drinking green tea before I was 10. And I've always found a bowl of plain rice really comforting!

So, I will ask again: why have I decided to learn Mandarin?

The answer can be reduced to four words.

I fell in love.

It's as simple as that.

Not only did I fall in love, but I fell in love with a girl who I met whilst living in a Buddhist Center and she was visiting the UK from . . . Taiwan.

Out of duty, she went back to her land far, far away and we intend to be with each other before this year is through.

So it is love that is my driving force. It is love that inspires me and eradicates all the fear and doubt I ever had about learning a new language. And the best thing is, I'm loving it. I'm truly enjoying the [slow] learning process that I've undertaken. I'm fascinated by Mandarin and how it all works. I'm fascinated by Taiwan and its history and its people.

And the more I learn the more I feel like I'm reminding myself of something which has always been within me.

I don't know about reincarnation or past lives (it makes sense if we consider that life has no beginning and no end) but it would explain my pull to the East.

As my girlfriend said, 'I feel like I've come to bring you home.'

And that's exactly why this old dog is wagging his tail.

(I know that most of you who are past your thirties will argue that 30 is young - but I'm afraid we in our thirties won't listen to you.)

www.gavinwhyte.co.uk

WEBSITE - gavinwhyte.co.uk

I would like to introduce you to my website at gavinwhyte.co.uk. 

Finally having a website to act as a secure base for my writing is something I’ve wanted for a long time.

I was going to have a website last year. A friend put me in touch with his web designer and I was happy to go along with it. But last November I bumped into a chap at the Post Office who I had met while playing badminton. We had only spoken two or three times, so we shared semi-awkward hellos, which was then followed by silent fillers; such as complaining how cold it was and whatnot.

More silence followed, but this time I had the urge to tell him I was putting money aside for a website. I can remember thinking, why would I tell him that? But this need to speak up wouldn’t leave me alone.

So I did.

‘Really?’ he said. ‘You do know I’m a web designer, right? That’s what I do.’

No I did not know that!

He handed me a business card.

I told him the price I had been quoted and he said he could do it for half of that!

Result.

Not only that, but the support and patience which Afzal (at HD1 Design) has provided, and continues to do so, has exceeded my expectations.

I’m truly grateful.

If you want a site creating, I highly recommend you get in touch with him.

The Death and Birth of Dreams

I'm happy to announce that my new book, Happiness & Honey, is now out to buy in paperback and on electronic formats.

The short fable is about a bee who exists at a time when bees didn't believe they could fly. They spend all their time slaving away to make honey. Billy was a bee who dreamt he could fly, but was told to turn his back on his silly dreams, to get some responsibilities and to go to work and make as much honey as possible.

I remember when the idea came to me: I was out walking on a cool day after a really hot spell. It was early in the year, too - Spring, I believe. I stepped over a bee on the pavement that also looked like it was out for its daily stroll. Then the idea popped into my head about a bee that couldn't fly.

I'm a guilty dreamer . . . for ten years I entertained the dream of becoming a music producer. I pursued it right to the very end, signing along the dotted line of the contract when I was 23. But it turned out that I had outlived the dream. I no longer resonated with the role of music producer. So much resistance and uncertainty took place around that time that I can remember crying myself to sleep one night.

I was saying goodbye to a part of myself that I had lived and breathed for a decade.

I was grieving the death of a dream.

It didn't help that I had identified myself with the outcome of the dream - so when the dream was realised and fell flat on its face, I was left asking who I was.

I remember a friend saying to me at the time, 'This could be the best thing that ever happened to you.' And he was right, for now I had space in life for something that would be up to date with my ideals and my sense of self.

It occurred to me that if I had got a recording contract, I could have and do anything I put my mind to. 

This is how writing came into the picture.

I had wanted to write a book since I was very young, but making music always took precedence.

Having written three books so far, I intend to continue . . . but who knows, maybe I'll turn my back on it further down the line and take up painting as a means of expressing myself.

Although I can't draw to save my soul . . .

Happiness & Honey is available on Rowanvale Books

I hope it touches the dreamer in you.

www.gavinwhyte.co.uk

   

Caterpillar People

It's hard to believe that the last time I wrote a post was five months ago.

Updating my blog is kind of like updating Facebook, or posting new tweets on Twitter.

If I don't feel like I've got that much to say, then I don't feel like saying much, so I settle for silence.

That said, now I have some news to share with whoever happens to chance upon this blog:

A new article of mine called Caterpillar People, is in the latest issue (Winter issue) of Watkins Mind Body Spirit Magazine. The magazine also contains articles by Ram Dass, Steve Taylor and Lorna Byrne. If you're interested in the MBS field then I'm sure they'll be something for you within its pages.

If you don't have a WHSmiths near you (which is where I found the magazine) and would like to buy a copy, please click on the following link: http://www.watkinsbooks.com/mbs

Just a quick update:

My bereavement book for children is currently being illustrated. Both the illustrator (http://www.lauraskilbeck.com/) and I are really looking forward to the finished product . . . it should be quite special.

The end of the month should see the publication of my new book, Happiness and Honey. It's in a similar vein to my book, The Girl with the Green-Tinted Hair, but focusses on a colony of bees who believe their wings to be useless. It's being published by Rowanvale Books. (http://www.rowanvalebooks.com/index.html).

I'm currently working on my next book which is allowing me to revel in my dark side. It contains elements of witchcraft, suicide and domestic abuse . . . not the usual stuff that comes through in my fiction! It's an exciting process for me, though. I'm discovering a lot about myself as an individual and as a writer.

If you're interested in my first two works of fiction, please follow the link.

http://www.lulu.com/shop/search.ep?type=&keyWords=gavin+whyte&x=0&y=0&sitesearch=lulu.com&q=

Love dogs.

www.gavinwhyte.co.uk