Equanimity is the spaciousness of a still and balanced mind, a mind that can weather life’s ups and downs. With the balance of equanimity, you can “be with” what is, without trying to change it to fit your needs and expectations.
–Janetti Marotta in 50 Mindful Steps to Self-Esteem
“Yes!”
She hesitated with her curiosity.
“You are bold,” she whispered.
“I am present,” she heard.
“I only take the path of least resistance.”
“Yes!” She said, loudly and quickly.
So she climbed the hill
Panting wildly and joyously
Until she reached the top
And rolled down the grass
Over and under
Around and around
At insatiable speeds,
Until she reached the end of the world
Where the water falls off the cliff
In a colossal waterfall.
She plunged into the mouth
Of a giant sea serpent
Who swallowed her
And bore her at the Four Corners
Where she played hopscotch and Russian roulette.
At night she would read poetry.
And near the time she was ready to leave
She questioned—“What is your name?”
And she heard, “Yes!”
-Janetti Marotta
Mindful Noting Practice: Equanimity
When you cultivate the qualities for mindful self-esteem, you plant the seed of equanimity.
Start by recognizing when you’re clinging to pleasant feelings (pleasure, gain, praise, and fame); being averse to unpleasant feelings (pain, loss, blame, and disrepute); or being indifferent. Notice the push and pull of pleasure and pain, gain and loss, praise and blame, fame and disrepute.
Then, without identifying with what you’re feeling and needing to feel a certain way, hold these “joys and sorrows” in a state of equanimity.
“If you touch one thing with deep awareness,
you touch everything.”
-Thich Nhat Hanh